Assigned to GOV AS
PASSED BY THE SENATE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Forty-seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2232
capitol police; reserve officers
Purpose
Authorizes the Arizona Department of Administration to establish the Capitol Police Reserve as a volunteer organization.
Background
The Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) is responsible for the security of the State Capitol Executive Tower, state office buildings in Tucson and the majority of the state owned or leased buildings near the State Capitol. ADOA is also responsible for the policing of state property and issuing citations in response to violations at these locations.
Capitol Police, a division of ADOA, provides law enforcement, public safety, crime prevention and security services to the Capitol complexes in Phoenix and Tucson. Capitol Police conduct criminal investigations, monitor the automated security systems network and operate a communications center. Capitol Police Officers are certified and trained in all aspects of police work through the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AzPOST).
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) offers a Sworn and Civilian Reserve Program to provide citizens an opportunity to volunteer as reserve officers or reserve civilians with DPS. Reserve officers must complete training equivalent to that received by full time officers and be certified by AzPOST. Reserve officers perform the same duties as full-time DPS officer. Reserve civilians are assigned to a wide variety of duties, including assisting stranded motorists, performing technical services or providing skills in other areas. According to ADOA, the Capitol Police Reserve will be modeled after the DPS Sworn and Civilian Reserve Program.
There may be a fiscal impact to ADOA associated with paying the costs of workers’ compensation benefits for reservists while on duty.
Provisions
1. Authorizes the ADOA Director to provide for a volunteer organization to be known as the Capitol Police Reserve.
2. Requires the Capitol Police Reserve to consist of U.S. citizens that are Arizona residents, who render auxiliary support, without compensation, to ADOA at the direction of the ADOA Director.
3. Allows U.S. naturalized citizens and permanent residents to serve as non-peace officers and capitol police reserve members.
4. Allows the reservists to be peace officers and non-peace officers.
5. Requires the ADOA Director to define the powers and duties of the reserve not to exceed or be inconsistent with those accorded to ADOA employees.
6. Requires the ADOA Director to issue a badge of authority, bearing the word “reserve” across the badge, distinguishing between certified peace officers and non-peace officers, to each reservist to be used for activities authorized by the ADOA Director.
7. Deems the reservists state employees while on duty for the purpose of securing workers’ compensation benefits in the same manner, under the same conditions and to the same extent as regular state employees.
8. Specifies that reservists are not state employees for any purpose, including workers’ compensation benefits, while performing authorized activities for an employer other than the ADOA Director. Requires the entity employing the reservist to file a statement with ADOA that the reservist is the agent of the employer and not a state employee.
9. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Requires the badge of the capitol police reserve member to make a distinction between volunteers who are certified peace officers and volunteers who are not certified police officers.
2. Expands the volunteers who are not peace officers to include individuals who are U.S. nationalized citizens and individuals lawfully residing in the U.S.
House Action Senate Action
GRGFA 1/25/06 DP 6-0-0-1 GOV 3/9/06 DP 7-0-0
3rd Read 2/7/06 48-10-2 3rd Read 4/4/06 30-0-0
Prepared by Senate Research
April 4, 2006
NS/ac