S-478                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 3302

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senators Fleming, Zimmerman, Sellar, Bauer, Johnson, McDermott and Gaspard

Read first time 1/24/85 and referred to Committee on Judiciary.

AN ACT Relating to law enforcement chaplains; adding a new chapter to Title 41 RCW; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The career of a police officer is highly stressful, resulting in unacceptable rates of divorce, alcoholism, low morale and suicide.  The nature of law enforcement work requires that much information be kept confidential, unfairly burdening the emotional capacity of law enforcement personnel.  Police officers may become the hidden victims of society because of their daily work with crisis.

          The legislature finds that law enforcement chaplains can provide emotional and spiritual support for law enforcement personnel, including pastoral counseling, stress management, and family life counseling.  The legislature also finds that law enforcement chaplains can serve as a crisis intervention resource for personnel of police, fire, and corrections departments, and medical examiners or coroners.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The legislature authorizes the Washington state patrol, in coordination with the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs and the Washington criminal justice training commission, to develop a law enforcement chaplain training program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The Washington state patrol shall employ a chaplain who also will serve as the coordinator for a state-wide law enforcement chaplain program for city, county, and state law enforcement agencies.  The chaplain/coordinator will provide technical assistance to local agencies.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The Washington criminal justice training commission shall provide training programs and workshops for law enforcement chaplains and police personnel.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     The Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs shall establish recommended standards and qualifications for law enforcement chaplains by September 1, 1985.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     The state-wide law enforcement chaplain program will be directed by an oversight committee consisting of the chief of the Washington state patrol, or his or her designee, two sheriffs, two police chiefs, and three law enforcement chaplains appointed by the president of the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs.  The committee shall select a citizen member to serve as a voting member of the committee.  There shall be three ex officio members of the committee:  (1) The chaplain/coordinator of the Washington state patrol, (2) the executive director of the Washington criminal justice training commission, and (3) the executive director of the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs.  The committee also shall serve in an advisory capacity for the selection of the chaplain/coordinator.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7.     The legislature authorizes the Washington state patrol and local law enforcement agencies to employ chaplains.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8.     If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1985.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10.    Sections 1 through 7 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 41 RCW.