Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 21

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 21-Committee on Legislative Affairs and Operations

March 19, 1997
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Referred to Committee on Legislative Affairs and Operations

SUMMARY--Directs Legislative Commission to conduct interim study of feasibility of separating Peace Officers' Standards and Training Committee from Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety. (BDR R-1536)

EXPLANATION - Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets [ ] is material to be omitted.

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION--Directing the Legislative Commission to conduct an interim study of the feasibility of separating the Peace Officers' Standards and Training Committee from the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety.

Whereas, The Nevada Peace Officers' Standards and Training (POST) Committee is made up of seven members of law enforcement selected from agencies across the State of Nevada and appointed by the Governor; and
Whereas, One of the duties of the POST Committee is to provide for the training and education of all of the peace officers in the State of Nevada to improve the system of criminal justice; and
Whereas, The POST Committee has no funding source or ability to hire or retain employees to fulfill the duties required of them by statute and are solely dependent upon the discretion of the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety to provide an appropriate budget based on the needs of the committee; and
Whereas, The Nevada Legislature has provided the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety with a funding source of court assessments to support the POST Committee; and
Whereas, The POST Committee is consistently understaffed and unable to provide adequately all of the services that are required by the law enforcement agencies of the State of Nevada; and
Whereas, Funding designated for the POST Committee from court assessments regularly returns to the state general fund without regard to the financial needs of the POST Committee to accomplish its assignments; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the Assembly Concurring, That the Legislative Commission is hereby directed to conduct an interim study of the feasibility of separating the Police Officers' Standards and Training Committee from the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety; and be it further
Resolved, That the study must include consideration of whether the POST Committee should:
1. Be funded by court assessments;
2. Set all training standards and guidelines for the certification and decertification of peace officers in the State of Nevada;
3. Provide the necessary training to all police officers and corrections officers; and
4. Employ a staff and maintain the necessary resources and facilities to accomplish its required duties; and be it further
Resolved, That no action may be taken by the study committee on recommended legislation unless it receives a majority vote of the Senators on the committee and a majority vote of the Assemblymen on the committee; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislative Commission submit a report of its findings and any recommendations for legislation to the 70th session of the Nevada Legislature.