SB2427 Summary

• Governor appoints a Law Enforcement Working Group administratively attached to the Department of the Attorney General to recommend statewide certification, recruitment, hiring, and training standards for all state and county law enforcement officers who carry firearms, badges, and have arrest authority.

• Working Group includes representatives from state agencies (Attorney General, Department of Public Safety, Department of Transportation, Department of Taxation, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Human Resources Development), county police chiefs, two community members with criminal justice or HR experience, and one former law enforcement professional each appointed by the Senate President and House Speaker.

• Working Group must submit preliminary report by December 1, 2020 (with at least two public hearings) and final report by December 1, 2021; minimum requirement is that all law enforcement officers be high school graduates.

• Prohibits law enforcement officers terminated for misconduct by any state or county law enforcement agency from being hired by another state or county law enforcement department, agency, or office unless reinstated through collective bargaining or legal process.

• Attorney General maintains list of terminated or forced-to-resign law enforcement officers for misconduct; Working Group ceases to exist May 31, 2022; Act takes effect January 1, 2050.