Department of Public Safety Standards & Training

A mid‑20th‑century institutional office building on a spacious, landscaped campus southeast of Salem. — This building on a large campus southeast of Salem houses the central offices of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. (Oregon State Archives Scenic Images collection)

Present Duties

The mission of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is to cultivate excellence in public safety by developing and delivering training and upholding established professional standards. The DPSST certifies/licenses police officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, regulatory specialists (OLCC), telecommunicators (911), emergency medical dispatchers, criminal justice instructors, private security providers, private investigators, fire service professionals and polygraph examiners in the State of Oregon. The agency determines candidates’ eligibility to run for the office of Sheriff, authorizing federal officers to make arrests pursuant to ORS 133.245, and provides staffing for the Public Safety Memorial Fund and Governor’s Commission for the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor. The DPSST works with public and private safety agencies around the state to provide basic, leadership and specialized training at the 237-acre Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem and regionally throughout the state.

DPSST is governed by a 26-member board and six discipline-specific policy committees. It serves more than 43,000 public safety constituents across the state. DPSST employs 160 full-time staff and approximately 400 part-time employees and agency-loaned instructors. It also provides staff for the board and policy committees and works with various board advisory committees and work groups.

DPSST’s campus is home to the Fallen Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the Fallen Firefighters Memorial. Memorial ceremonies for each are hosted annually to honor the officers and firefighters who have been killed in the line of duty.

Agency Website