Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey
States and cities with police union agreements that have provisions related to firearms training
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
|---|
|
| • 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 agreements that contain provisions related to firearms training. 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, five states and 16 cities have police union agreements that contain provisions related to firearms training as of December 2023.
This page features the following sections:
Maps
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 2023):
- There are five state CBAs and 16 city CBAs that contain provisions related to firearms training
- There are 21 state CBAs and 63 city CBAs that do not contain provisions related to firearms training
- 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 contain annual firearms training requirements. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
- YES means that the jurisdiction has police union agreements that contain annual firearms training requirements
- NO means that the jurisdiction does not have police union agreements that contain annual firearms training requirements
- UNKNOWN means that Ballotpedia could not verify whether the jurisdiction had police union agreements that contain annual firearms training requirements
- NO CBA means that the jurisdiction does not have a police union agreement
- FOIA DENIED means that the jurisdiction rejected Ballotpedia's request to review any collective bargaining agreements
| City | firearm-training |
|---|---|
| Albuquerque, New Mexico | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: N/A; Type of training: Firearms practiceAll firearms regulations outlined in the Albuquerque Police Department's Standard Operating Procedures Manual must remain in effect | |
| Anaheim, California | NO |
| Anchorage, Alaska | NO |
| Arlington, Texas | NO CBA |
| Atlanta, Georgia | NO CBA |
| Aurora, Colorado | NO |
| Austin, Texas | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: One hour per term for members of the Civilian Panel/Board; Type of training: Firearms training including scenario-based training | |
| Bakersfield, California | NO |
| Baltimore, Maryland | NO |
| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | NO |
| Birmingham, Alabama | NO CBA |
| Boise, Idaho | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: Quarterly; Type of training: N/AVoluntary additional firearms training is available on a monthly basis | |
| Boston, Massachusetts | NO |
| Buffalo, New York | UNKNOWN |
| Chandler, Arizona | NO |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| Chesapeake, Virginia | NO CBA |
| Chicago, Illinois | NO |
| Chula Vista, California | NO |
| Cincinnati, Ohio | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: N/A; Type of training: Part of basic in-service trainingThe FOP president is required to follow minimum requirements to maintain police officer certification including "attendance at basic in-service training which all members of the President's grade or rank are required to attend, including firearm training." | |
| Cleveland, Ohio | NO |
| Colorado Springs, Colorado | NO CBA |
| Columbus, Ohio | NO |
| Corpus Christi, Texas | NO |
| Dallas, Texas | NO |
| Denver, Colorado | NO |
| Detroit, Michigan | NO |
| Durham, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| El Paso, Texas | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: 8 hours per year; Type of training: N/A | |
| Fort Wayne, Indiana | NO |
| Fort Worth, Texas | NO |
| Fremont, California | NO |
| Fresno, California | NO |
| Garland, Texas | NO CBA |
| Gilbert, Arizona | NO CBA |
| Glendale, Arizona | YES |
Required/voluntary: Voluntary; Frequency: 2 hours per month; Type of training: N/AEmployees are offered 2 hours of on-duty time per month for voluntary firearms training, except for months in which employees are attending mandatory firearms training | |
| Greensboro, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| Henderson, Nevada | NO |
| Hialeah, Florida | NO |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: Annual; Type of training: Firearm qualification program | |
| Houston, Texas | YES |
Required/voluntary: Mandatory; Frequency: Annual; Type of training: TCOLE required firearms qualificationsThe department may require remedial firearms training. | |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | NO |
| Irvine, California | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: No less than every other month (at the discretion of the city); Type of training: Firearms qualificationOfficers and sergeants are eligible for overtime compensation for hours spent qualifying at the range outside of normal shooting range hours | |
| Irving, Texas | NO CBA |
| Jacksonville, Florida | NO |
| Jersey City, New Jersey | NO |
| Kansas City, Missouri | NO |
| Laredo, Texas | YES |
Required/voluntary: Voluntary; Frequency: N/A; Type of training: Rifle and pistol rangeOfficers are provided with 25 rounds of service ammunition annually for rifle and pistol range, however, if they are required to use their service ammunition during firearms qualification it will be replaced by the department | |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | NO |
| Lexington, Kentucky | NO |
| Lincoln, Nebraska | NO |
| Long Beach, California | NO |
| Los Angeles, California | NO |
| Louisville, Kentucky | NO |
| Lubbock, Texas | NO CBA |
| Madison, Wisconsin | NO |
| Memphis, Tennessee | YES |
Required/voluntary: Voluntary; Frequency: Annual; Type of training: Firearms skills qualification to earn additional time offRetired officers can maintain status as a staff reserve officer if they complete 8 hours of firearms training annually among other requirements | |
| Mesa, Arizona | NO CBA |
| Miami, Florida | NO |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | NO |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | NO |
| Nashville, Tennessee | NO |
| Newark, New Jersey | NO |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | NO CBA |
| New York, New York | NO |
| Norfolk, Virginia | NO CBA |
| North Las Vegas, Nevada | NO |
| Oakland, California | NO |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | NO |
| Omaha, Nebraska | NO |
| Orlando, Florida | YES |
Required/voluntary: N/A; Frequency: Twice annually; Type of training: N/AThe city must provide what the CBA refers to as adequate firearms training | |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | NO |
| Phoenix, Arizona | NO |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | NO |
| Plano, Texas | NO CBA |
| Portland, Oregon | NO |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| Reno, Nevada | NO |
| Richmond, Virginia | NO CBA |
| Riverside, California | NO |
| Sacramento, California | NO |
| San Antonio, Texas | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: Annual; Type of training: Firearms qualification for rifle or shotgun | |
| San Bernardino, California | NO |
| San Diego, California | NO |
| San Francisco, California | NO |
| San Jose, California | NO |
| Santa Ana, California | NO |
| Scottsdale, Arizona | NO CBA |
| Seattle, Washington | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: 32 hours per year; Type of training: Firearms training is among several topics included in the 32 hours32 hours of training per year includes firearms, use of force, first aid, and two of the following topics: diversity and ethics; emergency vehicle operation; defensive tactics; new technology | |
| St. Louis, Missouri | NO |
| Stockton, California | NO |
| St. Paul, Minnesota | NO |
| St. Petersburg, Florida | NO |
| Tampa, Florida | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: Annual; Type of training: Firearms requalificationEmployees who receive a master rating at the firearms requalification will be granted incentive pay | |
| Toledo, Ohio | NO |
| Tucson, Arizona | NO |
| Tulsa, Oklahoma | NO |
| Virginia Beach, Virginia | NO CBA |
| Wichita, Kansas | YES |
Required/voluntary: Voluntary; Frequency: N/A; Type of training: Firing range | |
| Winston-Salem, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| State | firearm-training |
|---|---|
| Alabama | NO CBA |
| Alaska | NO |
| Arizona | NO CBA |
| Arkansas | NO CBA |
| California | NO |
| Colorado | NO CBA |
| Connecticut | NO |
| Delaware | FOIA DENIED |
| District of Columbia | NO |
| Florida | YES |
Required/voluntary: Voluntary; Frequency: At least once every six months; Type of training: Access to an approved Standards and Training CourseEmployees are provided with an intermediate force weapon and training on the use of such weapon | |
| Georgia | NO CBA |
| Hawaii | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: Annual; Type of training: Firearm qualification program | |
| Idaho | NO CBA |
| Illinois | NO |
| Indiana | NO CBA |
| Iowa | NO |
| Kansas | NO |
| Kentucky | NO CBA |
| Louisiana | NO CBA |
| Maine | NO |
| Maryland | NO |
| Massachusetts | YES |
Required/voluntary: Voluntary; Frequency: During off duty hours with permission; Type of training: Supervised instructionEmployees assigned to Troop F must complete submachine gun training | |
| Michigan | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: N/A; Type of training: Firearms recertification training | |
| Minnesota | NO |
| Mississippi | NO CBA |
| Missouri | NO CBA |
| Montana | NO |
| Nebraska | NO |
| Nevada | YES |
Required/voluntary: Required; Frequency: N/A; Type of training: Specialized trainingFirearms training may be required as specialized mandatory training depending on an officer's job classification | |
| 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 | NO |
| Virginia | NO CBA |
| Washington | NO |
| West Virginia | UNKNOWN |
| Wisconsin | NO |
| Wyoming | NO CBA |
See also
Footnotes
| |||||||||||||||||
