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States and cities with police union agreement processes that restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
|---|
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| • Police collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) • Ballotpedia CBA dashboard •Reform proposals •CBA areas of inquiry and disagreement •Arguments about police collective bargaining • Index of articles about criminal justice policy |
| Click here for more analysis of police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city on Ballotpedia |
This page contains information from a Ballotpedia analysis about which states and cities have police union agreement processes that restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
According to the analysis, four states and one city have police union agreement processes that restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments as of December 2023.
This page features the following sections:
Maps
Map showing which states with police union agreements have processes that restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments
Map showing which cities with police union agreements have processes that restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments
Background
Through the lens of more than 30 research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline, Ballotpedia examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements. Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
You can find lists of all the collective bargaining agreements and other documents used by Ballotpedia for this survey here for states and here for cities.
Summary of findings
Ballotpedia's analysis of state and city union policies produced the following key takeaways (as of December 2021):
- There are four state CBAs and one city CBA that restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments
- There are 22 state CBAs and 78 city CBAs that do not restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments
- There are 22 states and 21 cities that do not have police CBAs
- There are two states and one city in which the request for information on police CBAs was denied or information could not be verified
Results
The tables below include each state and city in alphabetical order and indicate those that have police union agreement processes that restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
| State | licensing-procedures |
|---|---|
| Alabama | NO CBA |
| Alaska | YES |
The state is required to pay for initial licensing and certification fees for new licenses required by statute or regulation. When the license is required by the employer, the CBA requires the employer to pay for requisite training. | |
| Arizona | NO CBA |
| Arkansas | NO CBA |
| California | NO |
| Colorado | NO CBA |
| Connecticut | NO |
| Delaware | FOIA DENIED |
| District of Columbia | NO |
| Florida | NO |
| Georgia | NO CBA |
| Hawaii | NO |
| Idaho | NO CBA |
| Illinois | NO |
| Indiana | NO CBA |
| Iowa | NO |
| Kansas | NO |
| Kentucky | NO CBA |
| Louisiana | NO CBA |
| Maine | YES |
If qualifications change, current employees are grandfathered into their positions unless licensing, registration, or certification are required by state law, federal law, or a court order | |
| Maryland | NO |
| Massachusetts | NO |
| Michigan | NO |
| Minnesota | NO |
| Mississippi | NO CBA |
| Missouri | NO CBA |
| Montana | NO |
| Nebraska | NO |
| Nevada | YES |
Professional certification or licensure costs required for job classifications are not allowable expenses under the state administrative manual | |
| New Hampshire | NO |
| New Jersey | NO |
| New Mexico | NO CBA |
| New York | NO |
| North Carolina | NO CBA |
| North Dakota | NO CBA |
| Ohio | NO |
| Oklahoma | NO CBA |
| Oregon | NO |
| Pennsylvania | NO |
| Rhode Island | NO |
| South Carolina | NO CBA |
| South Dakota | NO CBA |
| Tennessee | NO CBA |
| Texas | NO CBA |
| Utah | NO CBA |
| Vermont | YES |
The state is responsible for reimbursing employees for licenses or certifications required to complete job duties. | |
| Virginia | NO CBA |
| Washington | NO |
| West Virginia | UNKNOWN |
| Wisconsin | NO |
| Wyoming | NO CBA |
See also
Footnotes
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