Committee Bill No. 402 Summary

• Establishes a Department of Civilian Justice effective January 1, 2020, headed by a Governor-appointed Commissioner who may serve no more than 8 years

• Creates two units within the department: an investigative unit (supervised by a deputy commissioner with 5+ years investigation experience) and an adjudicatory unit (supervised by an attorney-at-law with 5+ years judicial or administrative experience)

• Authorizes the department to receive complaints from police officers alleging misconduct by other police officers, investigate impartially, and conduct adjudicatory proceedings within 30 days with probable cause hearings

• Grants hearing officers authority to impose discipline including dismissal, demotion, suspension up to 30 days, pay forfeiture up to 3 days, reprimand, or required training; dismissed or resigned officers are prohibited from police employment for 5 years unless malfeasance is involved

• Exempts police officers covered by collective bargaining agreements in effect before January 1, 2020, but requires all new or amended agreements after that date to incorporate the department's investigation and discipline provisions