BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 979
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 979 (Weber)
As Amended May 24, 2013
Majority vote
PUBLIC SAFETY 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Ammiano, Melendez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bigelow, |
| |Jones-Sawyer, Mitchell, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Quirk, Skinner, Waldron | |Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| | | |Hall, Ammiano, Linder, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, Wagner, Weber |
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SUMMARY : Requires specified peace officers assigned to a
jurisdiction that includes navigable waters to complete a course
in basic maritime operations if the local governing body opts in
and if the federal Department of Homeland Security provides
funding. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires peace officers to complete a course in basic maritime
operations for law enforcement officers if they meet all of
the following criteria:
a) The officer is employed by a city, county, city and
county, or district that has adopted a resolution
implementing this section;
b) The officer falls within a classification identified by
the local governing body;
c) The officer is assigned in a jurisdiction that includes
navigable waters; and,
d) The officer serves as a crew member on a waterborne law
enforcement vessel.
2)Specifies that the course shall include boat handling, chart
reading, navigation rules, and comprehensive training
regarding maritime boarding, arrest procedures, vessel
identification, searches, and counterterrorism practices and
procedures, and requires that the curriculum be consistent
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with federal standards and tactical training.
3)Provides that this section shall only become operative in a
city, county, city and county, or district when all of the
following conditions apply:
a) The federal Department of Homeland Security provides
funding to the locality;
b) The local governing body adopts a resolution agreeing to
implement this section; and,
c) The local governing body identifies the specific
classification of peace officers in their jurisdiction that
will be subject to the training requirements.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires all peace officers to complete an introductory course
of training prescribed by the Committee on Peace Officers
Standards and Training (POST), demonstrated by passage of an
appropriate examination developed by POST.
2)Empowers POST to develop and implement programs to increase
the effectiveness of law enforcement.
3)Authorizes POST, for the purpose of raising the level of
competence of local law enforcement officers, to adopt rules
establishing minimum standards related to physical, mental and
moral fitness and training that shall govern the recruitment
of any peace officers in California.
4)Requires POST to conduct research concerning job-related
educational standards and job-related selection standards to
include vision, hearing, physical ability, and emotional
stability and adopt standards supported by this research.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill specifies these provisions become operative
only when federal funding from the Department of Homeland
Security is made available to the local law enforcement entity
for this purpose.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Maritime training has not
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only evolved but become a necessity among law enforcement
agencies whose jurisdictions may include maritime areas. For
emergencies or multi-jurisdictional operations, the time to set
a standard that all agencies and departments can share and build
upon is long overdue.
"California must set in motion the necessary statutes,
regulations and curriculum to provide the level of training and
standards for safe effective waterborne law enforcement across
the state. AB 979 will provide for these critical statewide
standards and training for law enforcement operating in a
maritime environment.
"The Post Commission has already approved three courses for
maritime peace officers that are taught at the regional maritime
law enforcement training center at the port of Los Angeles.
These courses can be exported to any training facility.
Additionally, this bill would come at no-cost to the state, as
its provisions would apply only if federal funds become
available."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandy Uribe / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744
FN: 0000901