SENATE BILL REPORT

ESSB 5270


 


 

As Passed Senate, February 10, 2004

 

Title: An act relating to law enforcement mobilization.

 

Brief Description: Creating a law enforcement mobilization policy board and plan.

 

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Senators Brandland, Kline, Roach, Kastama, Rasmussen, Johnson, Esser, McCaslin, Kohl-Welles and Winsley).


Brief History:

Committee Activity: Judiciary: 2/6/03, 2/14/03 [DPS].

Passed Senate: 3/16/03, 48-0; 2/10/04, 48-0.

      


 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY


Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5270 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chair; Esser, Vice Chair; Brandland, Hargrove, Haugen, Johnson, Kline and Roach.

 

Staff: Aldo Melchiori (786-7439)

 

Background: In May 2002, the membership of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs approved the Washington State Law Enforcement Mutual Aid/Mobilization Plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide a process to quickly notify, assemble, and deploy law enforcement personnel and equipment to any local jurisdiction in the state that has expended all available local and mutual aid resources in attempting to plan for and/or control an emergency incident.

 

Summary of Bill: The state Law Enforcement Mobilization Policy Board is established by the chief of the Washington State Patrol. The board makes recommendations to the chief on the refinement and maintenance of the Washington State Law Enforcement Mobilization Plan, including procedures used during a response requiring coordination of law enforcement resources, consistent with the incident command system. The board consults with and solicits recommendations from state and local law enforcement, emergency management organizations, and regional law enforcement mobilization committees.

 

Regional law enforcement coordinating committees consist of the sheriff of each county in the region, the district commander of the Washington State Patrol from the region, a number of police chiefs equivalent to the number of counties in the region plus one, and the director of the counties' emergency management offices. Regional committees develop regional law enforcement service plans and work with local governmental agencies to facilitate intergovernmental agreements required to implement regional law enforcement response plans. Regional plans must be approved by the state Law Enforcement Mobilization Policy Board. Regional mobilization may be implemented by the chair of the regional mobilization committee.

 

The state mobilization plan is included within the state comprehensive emergency management plan. Mobilization may be declared by the chief when law enforcement resources, beyond those available locally or through existing mutual aid agreements, are needed in response to an emergency or disaster. The chief appoints a state law enforcement resource coordinator who coordinates activities with the chief law enforcement officer of the host agency when the mobilization plan is activated. Mobilization may include the redistribution of regional or statewide law enforcement resources to either direct emergency incident assignments or to assignments in communities where law enforcement resources are needed. The chief, in consultation with the resource coordinator, declares when mobilization ends. The Washington State Patrol, in consultation with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), and the Office of Financial Management, develops procedures to facilitate reimbursement to mobilized jurisdictions from federal and state funds.

 

Appropriation: None.

 

Fiscal Note: Available.

 

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

 

Testimony For: This is patterned after the successful fire protection mobilization plan. There are many mutual aid agreements and they would be used prior to mobilization. Although rarely used, mobilization plans save time and money, as well as providing greater protection for the public.

 

Testimony Against: None.

 

Testified: PRO: Senator Brandland, prime sponsor; Larry Erickson, WASPC; George Walk, Pierce County.