350 San Diego Deputies Disarmed; Weapons Training Was Uncertified

The Sheriff’s Department has disarmed about 350 corrections deputies after learning that the weapons training courses they took were not certified.

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department officials believe that the deputies were properly trained but worry about a liability problem if officials are forced to prove, in a civil lawsuit, that the non-certified classes were adequate.

The certification agency, Peace Officers Standards and Training, has urged the department to have the deputies repeat 64 hours of academy training in firearms, arrest laws and self-defense tactics.

The corrections deputies underwent extra training so they could carry firearms when transporting prisoners and guarding jail perimeters--tasks previously performed only by regular sworn deputies who already carried guns. The department was surprised to learn that the courses were not certified, said Sheriff’s Academy Lt. Mike Peltier.