Senate Bill No. 391

(By Senators Bowman, Bailey, Facemyer, Smith and Plymale)

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[Introduced January 29, 2003; referred to the Committee on Government Organization

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A BILL to amend and reenact section three, article two, chapter fifteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to training requirements for members of the state police.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section three, article two, chapter fifteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
 ARTICLE 2. WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE.
§15-2-3. State police structure; how established.
(a) The superintendent shall create, appoint and equip the state police which shall consist of the number of troops, districts and detachments required for the proper administration of the state police. Each troop, district or detachment shall be composed of the number of officers and members the superintendent determines are necessary to meet operational needs and are required for the efficient operation of the state police. The superintendent shall establish the general organizational structure of the state police by interpretive rule in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.
(b) (1) The superintendent shall provide adequate facilities for the training of all members of the state police and shall prescribe basic training requirements for newly enlisted members.
(2) In prescribing training requirements, the superintendent shall provide a shorter training period and reduced requirements for individuals who have been certified as law-enforcement officers under the provisions of article twenty-nine, chapter thirty of this code.
(3) He or she shall also provide advanced or in-service training from time to time for all members of the state police.

(4) The superintendent shall hold training classes for other peace officers in the state without cost to those officers, except actual expenses for food, lodging and school supplies.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require reduced training requirements for newly hired state police cadets who have previously been certified as law-enforcement officers.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.