BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 703 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 703 (Hall) As Amended June 25, 2013 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |71-0 |(May 23, 2013) |SENATE: |35-0 |(August 19, | | | | | | |2013) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: PUB. S. SUMMARY : Specifies that a retired level I reserve peace officer is entitled to an endorsement for a concealed weapons (CCW) permit if he or she carried a firearm during the course and scope of his or her employment and he or she served in the aggregate the minimum amount of time specified by the retiree's agency's policy. This policy may not set an aggregate term requirement that is less than 10 years or more than 20 years. The Senate amendments clarify that service as a reserve officer, other than a level I reserve officer shall not count toward the accrual of the minimum years of service required. EXISTING LAW : 1)States that any peace officer employed by an agency listed in Penal Code Section 830.1 or 830.2, or in Penal Code Section 830.5, who retired after January 1, 1981, shall have an endorsement on the officer's identification certificate stating that the issuing agency approves the officer's carrying of a concealed weapon. 2)Provides that any peace officer who was authorized to, and did carry a firearm during the course and scope of employment as a peace officer, shall have an endorsement on the officer's identification certificate stating that the issuing agency approves the officer's carrying of a concealed weapon. 3)Defines "honorably retired" to include any peace officer, who has qualified for, and has accepted, a service or disability retirement. As used in these provisions, "honorably retired" does not include a peace officer who has agreed to a service retirement in lieu of termination. AB 703 Page 2 4)Provides that any peace officer, as specified, who has been honorably retired shall be issued an identification certificate by the law enforcement agency from which the officer retired. The issuing agency may charge a fee necessary to cover any reasonable expenses incurred in issuing the certificate. 5)Provides a county sheriff or municipal police chief may issue a license to carry a handgun capable of being concealed upon the person upon proof of all of the following: a) The person applying is of good moral character; b) Good cause exists for the issuance; c) The person applying meets the appropriate residency requirements; and, d) The person has completed the appropriate training course, as specified. 6)States that a county sheriff or a chief of a municipal police department may issue a license to carry a concealed handgun in either of the following formats: a) A license to carry a concealed handgun upon his or her person; or, b) A license to carry a loaded and exposed handgun if the population of the county, or the county in which the city is located, is less than 200,000 persons according to the most recent federal decennial census. 7)Provides that a chief of a municipal police department shall not be precluded from entering into an agreement with the sheriff of the county in which the city is located for the sheriff to process all applications for licenses, or renewal of licenses, to carry a concealed handgun upon the person. 8)Provides that a license to carry a concealed handgun is valid for up to two years, three years for judicial officers, or four years in the case of a reserve or auxiliary peace officer. 9)Defines a "level I reserve peace officer" as a reserve officer AB 703 Page 3 deputized or appointed pursuant to specified sections and assigned to the prevention and detection of crime and the general enforcement of the laws of California, whether or not working alone, and the person has completed the basic training course for deputy sheriffs and police officers prescribed by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. 10)States that the authority of a reserve peace officer extends only for the duration of the person's specific assignment. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible states costs. COMMENTS : According to the author, "Whether off duty or in retirement, peace officers may come into contact with former arrestees, placing themselves and their loved ones in potential harm. As a result, most peace officers receive a Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) Endorsement which allows them to carry a concealed weapon for their protection. "Even though they face many of the same dangers associated with a career in law enforcement, Level I retired reserve peace officers are not afforded the same post employment protections necessary to ensure their personal safety." Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion of this bill. Analysis Prepared by : Gregory Pagan / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744 FN: 0001596