SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5150

2019 Regular Session

BySenate Higher Education & Workforce Development (originally sponsored by Senators Wilson, L., Becker, Palumbo, O'Ban, and Short)

READ FIRST TIME 02/18/19.

AN ACT Relating to authority for providing security to the campuses of the state community and technical colleges; adding a new section to chapter 28B.050 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that there is a public interest in protecting students at all levels of their education. The legislature also finds that there is an increasing atmosphere of societal unrest, especially on college campuses. The legislature also finds that the state universities, the regional universities, and The Evergreen State College are explicitly authorized to maintain a high level of security. The legislature also finds that the community and technical colleges have not been given the authority to maintain the same level of security as the universities. The legislature intends the community and technical colleges to also have options to protect their students and campuses in accordance with the recommendations issued by the mass shootings work group in 2018. Nothing in this section is intended to mandate how each college district chooses to protect its students, but instead is designed to clearly provide explicit authorization for the community and technical colleges to act as is appropriate for each college district to provide protection for students and faculty.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The board of trustees for each college district, acting independently, and each on behalf of its own college district, have the authority to protect each college campus in a manner and with personnel appropriate for that campus's culture and environment. Each board of trustees is authorized to:

(a) Enter into a written agreement with a local law enforcement agency to assign one or more commissioned law enforcement officers of the state with sworn authority to make arrests, deployed in community-oriented policing, and assigned by the employing police department or sheriff's office to work with the appropriate security, safety, and emergency management personnel at the community and technical colleges to ensure the safety of the college campus;

(b) Maintain a public safety department with appropriately trained officers who may carry weapons, not including firearms, under the discretion of each community or technical college's public safety director; and

(c) Contract with public or private entities to provide security services for the community or technical college as authorized by this section.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section does not authorize the carrying or use of firearms by any person other than a commissioned Washington law enforcement officer.

(3) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the state board for community and technical colleges and the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs shall develop a template contract and accompanying information to assist community and technical colleges in contracting for the provision of security under subsection (1)(a) of this section.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a cause of action against any community or technical college for choosing not to implement any of the above security measures.