HOUSE BILL REPORT

SB 6628

As Reported by House Committee On:

Higher Education

Title:  An act relating to probationary periods of campus police officer appointees.

Brief Description:  Establishing the probationary period for campus police officer appointees.

Sponsors:  Senators Kohl‑Welles, Sheahan and Jacobsen; by request of University of Washington.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Higher Education:  2/22/02 [DP].

Brief Summary of Bill

$The probationary period is extended for officer appointees who are required to attend the basic law enforcement training academy.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass. Signed by 6 members: Representatives Kenney, Chair; Fromhold, Vice Chair; Cox, Ranking Minority Member; Chase, Dunn and Jarrett.

Staff:  Antonio Sanchez (786‑7383).

Background:

The Washington Personnel Resources Board (WPRB) adopts rules regarding the procedures pertaining to state personnel, including the probationary period required for newly appointed permanent employees.  Currently, the probationary period for all newly appointed campus police is set at 12 months from the date of their appointment.

The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission provides programs and standards for the training of criminal justice personnel.  All law enforcement personnel, except volunteers and reserve officers, employed on or after January 1, 1978, are required to have basic law enforcement training that complies with the standards set out by the commission. 

Under the current system where newly appointed officers have a probation period of 12 months from the time of hire, it is often almost 12 months before a police officer gets into the academy, graduates and goes to work.  As a result of this time line, officers spend only a short amount of time actually on the job before they must have a job performance evaluation.  Some of the universities have expressed concern about the time line for evaluation and feel that officers cannot be given proper evaluation of their on-the-job work performance under the current system.

Summary of Bill:

New officer appointees who are required to attend the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission basic law enforcement academy, will have their 12-month probationary period set at the date when the officer successfully completes the academy.  If academy training is not required, the 12-month probationary period begins at the date the officer is appointed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on February 21, 2002.

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

Testimony For:  This will help the University of Washington make more appropriate use of its resources and result in a more professional campus police.  The current system does not allow for a thorough review of officers and the bill offers a solution.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Senator Kohl-Welles, prime sponsor; Larry Erickson, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs; and Amy Bell, University of Washington.