Clarification ...
Just talked to California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) spokesman Bob Stresak.
Stresak said that he was unaware of August Vollmer University when I asked him about it on Sept. 3.
With another day passed, Stresak said he looked into it, and he does have records of the school. He said the school was not accredited, but that POST accepted units from the program at the time San Bernardino Police Chief Michael Billdt earned them, which may explain how BIlldt received a management certificate, which typically requires 60 accredited units.
Stresak said Vollmer was the only school he knew for which POST has allowed an exemption to their normal rules.
Translation:
Chief Billdt pulled his four year degree out of a Cracker Jack box.
I would be curious to know why POST made an exception in this instance.
Clearly, that's the big question.
I asked Stresak that, and said he did not know but would look into it.
But, he stressed that August Vollmer was the only school he knew of that was exempted from the accreditation requirement.
So that explains how Chief Billdt could be qualified in the eyes of POST without a 4-year degree from a recognized institution.
Thanks for reading and writing,
Robert
Mr. Billdt must have taken the slow-learner version of the Augie U coursework because other classmates say it took them only 9-10 months for the same degree program. One wonders if Augie U taught any courses in integrity or ethics, & if they did, he probably slept through those classes.
I guess it would be safe to presume that Billdt didn't complete The Sherman Block's Supervisory Leadership Institute certification either.
It is time to write Arnold and ask that our city be taken over by the Sheriff Department........
Though it is important to know how lean & lacking Billdt's resume is, more important is the fact that it took a year or so to pry it out of him. He was so secretive about it. So much for transparancy and open-door policies. Everything he does is on a need-to-know basis & in his mind a lot of people don't qualify for needing to know including the citizens of SB.