Follow-up review. Georgia Public Safety Training Center

FOLLOW-UP REVIEW
Prepared for the Budgetary Responsibility Oversight Committee
Georgia Public Safety Training Center
October 2003

Performance Audit Operations Division 254 Washington St. S.W.

Russell W. Hinton, State Auditor Department of Audits and Accounts

Atlanta, GA 30334-8400

This is a Follow-Up Review of the August 2001 Program Evaluation on the Georgia Public Safety Training Center conducted by the Performance Audit Operations Division.
Purpose of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center
The purpose of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) is to develop, deliver, and facilitate training that is consistent with the contemporary needs of Georgia's public safety personnel.
Issues Addressed
The specific objectives of the original program evaluation were:
To comment on the validity of the Results-Based Budget (RBB) goals and desired results and to evaluate the reliability of the RBB data;
To describe how the GPSTC calculates the reimbursement to municipalities, counties, or state public safety agencies for expenditures on tuition, meals, and lodging, which are incurred in training peace officers (35-5-5(d)) and to determine the extent fees (35-55(b)) charged to local and state government agencies for the training of their peace officers are not offset by appropriation; and
To determine the impact on the GPSTC's budget as the regional academies are moved under the GPSTC.
Background
The Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) is a comprehensive training complex designed to address the training needs of state, local, and judicial public safety organizations. Located on a 620-acre complex in Forsyth, the GPSTC provides instruction to law enforcement, fire service, correctional, emergency medical, and judicial personnel through its General Instructional Services Division, the Georgia Police Academy (GPA), and the Georgia Fire Academy (GFA).
The GPA and GFA operated as independent state entities until a fiscal year 1993 reorganization by the Board of Public Safety consolidated GPA, GFA, and GPSTC. Since legislation has not

been enacted to consolidate the entities, GPA and GFA are independent entities for budget purposes. For operational purposes, they function as divisions of the GPSTC.
Regional Academies
The 10 regional academies serve as the primary training facilities for local law enforcement personnel. Initially, all of the regional academies operated under a contract between the GPSTC and a sponsoring agency. In September 1999, the Board of Public Safety recommended that the 38 positions associated with seven of the 10 regional academies become employees of the GPSTC and that $1.7 million in funds be reallocated within GPSTC's budget for that purpose. At the time of the evaluation, four regional academies were under the direct control of GPSTC, with three additional academies coming under the direct control of GPSTC in fiscal year 2003.
Training Fees
The training courses offered by the GPSTC and the regional academies are tuition free to certified peace officers, emergency medical services personnel, and operational firefighters who are employed by state, county, or municipal public safety agencies in Georgia. Law enforcement support personnel, non-operational fire department employees, non-certified emergency medical services personnel, and civilian public safety employees may attend training at no charge for tuition, but must pay for meals and lodging. Employees of federal agencies, out-of-state agencies, and private sector organizations may attend courses for a fee, if space is available.
Activity Data and Funding
In fiscal year 2002, the GPSTC offered almost 5,000 courses attended by approximately 97,502 students. GPSTC's fiscal year 2003 expenditures totaled approximately $14.4 million, with $10.2 million in state funds, $1,298,835 in federal funds, and $2,858,959 in funds from other sources.
Summary of the Program Evaluation
While the program evaluation found that GPSTC's RBB goals and desired results were valid indicators of its effectiveness, the evaluation noted that the desired results could be improved and that several factors had an adverse impact on the validity of the RBB data. The program evaluation also found that the reliability of the RBB data was adversely impacted by the data's correctness, completeness, and security.
The program evaluation found that GPSTC provided training free of charge to eligible public safety personnel within the state of Georgia. Fees were charged to private citizens, out-of-state residents, and federal agencies. A significant impact on GPSTC's capital outlay budget was not anticipated upon assuming control of the regional academies. An immediate impact was expected on GPSTC's operating budget.
Results-Based Budgeting
The Budgetary Accountability and Planning Act of 1993 requires that programs provide data in their Results-Based Budget to indicate how well they are solving the problems they were created and funded to address. The intent for capturing and reporting such data is to reflect the progress the program has made toward achieving its purpose for existing.

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Follow-Up Review of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center

After the program evaluation was released, the GPSTC, with the approval of the Office of Planning and Budget, changed its RBB. According to GPSTC, the RBB was changed to better reflect its mission through measuring the availability and quality of the training it provides. The GPSTC's goals and desired results measures, as detailed in the Governor's Budget Report for fiscal year 2002, are shown in Exhibit 1. The GPSTC's goals and desired results measures, as detailed in the Governor's Budget Report for fiscal year 2004, are shown in Exhibit 2 and reflect GPSTC's revised RBB.

EXHIBIT 1

GEORGIA PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING CENTER

Fiscal Year 2002

Purpose: Develop, deliver, and facilitate training, which promotes professionalism and competency within the ranks of Georgia's

public safety agencies.

Goal 1: Improve the ability of law enforcement in Georgia to protect lives while adhering to the principles of due process and equal protection.
- The percentage of Public Safety professionals who attend Georgia Public

FY 2000 Desired

FY 2000 Actual

Safety Center courses and pass that show a minimum of 10% improvement in

knowledge, skills, and abilities based on pre-and post-testing as follows

EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operation)

32%

35%

Basic Communication

57%

74%

Advanced/Specialized in Service Mandate

48%

58%

JPS (Judgmental Pistol Shooting)

38%

38%

- In a six-month follow-up survey, 50% of employers will state that the

coursework at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center was relevant and

50%

N/A

helpful.

Source: Governor's Budget Report, Fiscal Year 2002, p. 420

EXHIBIT 2

GEORGIA PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING CENTER

Fiscal Year 2004

Purpose: Develop, deliver, and facilitate training that is consistent with the contemporary needs of Georgia's public safety

personnel.

Goal 1: The availability of quality training programs that result in competent on-the-job performance.

Desired Result 1a: Annually the Georgia Public Safety Training Center satisfies 100% of all training requests received from

Georgia Public Safety Agencies.

FY 2001

FY 2002

FY 2003

FY 2004

Desired Result

100%

100%

100%

100%

Actual Result

89.10%

94.60%

Desired Result 1b: In an annual follow-up survey, 100% of Georgia Public Safety Agencies will state that adequate training

resources and opportunities are available through the Training Center.

FY 2001

FY 2002

FY 2003

FY 2004

Desired Result

100%

100%

100%

100%

Actual Result

88.54%

87.53%

Note 1: Agencies send numerous students throughout the year. Conducting individual follow-up interviews is not cost effective.

Goal 2: The delivery of quality training programs that result in competent on-the-job performance

Desired Result 2a: 100% of all training provided by or through the Georgia Public Safety Training Center meets or exceeds

certification criteria as established by the respective standards and accreditation authority.

FY 2001

FY 2002

FY 2003

FY 2004

Desired Result

100%

100%

100%

100%

Actual Result

100%

100%

Desired Result 2b: In an annual follow-up survey, 100% of employers will state that training received from or through the Training

Center was relevant and helpful.

FY 2001

FY 2002

FY 2003

FY 2004

Desired Result

100%

100%

100%

100%

Actual Result

97.23%

96.29%

Note 1: Agencies send numerous students throughout the year. Conducting individual follow-up interviews is not cost effective.

Source: Governor's Budget Report, Fiscal Year 2004, p. 632

Follow-Up Review of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center

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Status of Findings and Recommendations
Finding (as reported in 2001): The GPSTC's fiscal year 2002 Results-Based Budgeting (RBB) goal and desired results are valid indicators of its effectiveness. However, the desired results could be improved. In addition, there are several factors that adversely impact the validity of the RBB data. Current Status: As previously stated, the GPSTC changed its RBB, and therefore, the recommended potential improvements stated in the program evaluation are no longer applicable. The revised goals and desired results are valid indicators of GPSTC's effectiveness.
However, the audit team did note a problem with the actual survey of employers. The survey used to obtain information regarding fiscal year 2002 training at GPSTC questioned law enforcement agencies about training received at the regional police academies and the Georgia Fire Academy rather than at GPSTC. This information was reported as GPSTC's RBB measures in the Fiscal Year 2004 Governor's Budget Report.

Finding (as reported in 2001): The evaluation found that there are several factors that adversely impact the reliability of the RBB data. Current Status: The original evaluation found that the reliability of the RBB data was adversely impacted by the correctness of the data (the instructor's calculation of the course averages were not verified), the completeness of the data (GPSTC did not ensure that all the courses that should be in the RBB database were, in fact, in the database), and that the RBB database was not secure. With the changes to GPSTC's RBB goals, the issues related to the correctness and completeness of data and the security of the RBB database have been corrected.

Finding (as reported in 2001): The Georgia Public Safety Training Center provides training free of charge to eligible public safety personnel within the state of Georgia but does charge fees to private citizens, out-of-state residents, and federal agencies to offset the cost of training. Current Status: Since the evaluation, there have been no significant changes in the circumstances in which fees are charged. However, the fee amounts have increased. The Basic/pre-service training tuition increased from $2,500 to $2,580 per student and tuition for specialized courses increased in fiscal year 2003 from $10 to $12 per instructional hour. The cost of lodging and meals charged to certain students from the Departments of Juvenile Justice and Corrections have also increased from $13 to $14 per nightly double-occupancy lodging and from $11 to $12 per day for meals. In addition, the reimbursement rate to local law enforcement agencies for meals and lodging related to the basic mandate class has decreased from 100% to 65.9% due to budget cuts.

Finding (as reported in 2001): The Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) does not anticipate that its capital outlay budget will be significantly impacted when control of the regional academies is moved from the sponsoring agencies to GPSTC. However, this conversion will have an immediate impact on GPSTC's operating budget.

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Follow-Up Review of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center

Current Status: Since the evaluation, the control of three regional academies has moved from sponsoring agencies to GPSTC. In total, seven regional academies have moved from sponsoring agencies to GPSTC. While the shift in control has not impacted GPSTC's capital outlay budget, the shift has had a moderate impact on GPSTC's operating budget. GPSTC expended about $120,000 for renovations and air conditioning repair for a building housing the Middle Georgia Police Academy in Macon. In addition, GPSTC assumed an additional $133,000 in rental fees for the three regional academies that came under the GPSTC's operational control at the beginning of fiscal year 2003. It should be noted that GPSTC has not conducted a facilities study to determine what the GPSTC and the regional academies will require over the long-term for facility upgrades as recommended in the original report.

Follow-Up Review of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center

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For additional information or to request a copy of the program evaluation, contact Paul E. Bernard, Director, Performance Audit Operations Division, at 404-657-5220 or go to
our website: www.audits.state.ga.us/internet/pao/index.html.