Report Title:

Statewide Public Safety Training Academy

Description:

Establishes statewide public safety training academies for police, fire, and other public safety departments. (SD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2136

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Chapter 353C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"Part   . Public safety training academies

§353C-   Statewide training academies established. (a) Within the department of public safety there are hereby created and established statewide public safety training academies.

(b) The director shall have supervision of the statewide public safety training academies and shall establish standards for admission and courses of training. The director shall adopt all necessary rules under chapter 91 relating to:

(1) The admission, education, physical standards, and personal character of the trainees;

(2) The establishment of application fees, if any; and

(3) Such other rules that are not inconsistent with law.

(c) Trainees shall pay to the department an amount equal to the actual cost of meals consumed at the statewide public safety training academies and the actual cost of any training uniforms that remain the personal property of the trainees.

(d) All fees and payments received by the department pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the general fund.

§353C-   Location of training academies. (a) A statewide firefighter training academy shall be maintained by the State and located on the island of Hawaii at a site to be determined after consultation with the mayor of Hawaii county.

(b) A statewide police training academy and all other public safety training academies shall be maintained by the State and located in Waipahu, Oahu at the present location of the Honolulu police department training academy, unless the director, with the consent of the governor, determines a more suitable alternate site.

§353C-   Persons admissible to training academies; minimum age qualifications. (a) All persons admitted as a candidate to any of the statewide public safety training academies shall be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the State, and certified by a physician as being physically and mentally sound on an examination made within one month prior to the acceptance of the person's candidacy.

(b) Candidates admitted to the statewide firefighter training academy shall be at least eighteen years old.

(c) Candidates admitted to the statewide police and public safety training academy shall be at least twenty-one years old.

§353C-   Sponsorship of candidates by counties. A candidate meeting the physical, mental, and educational requirements of this part shall be admitted to one of the training academies as a candidate only upon the request of the chief of the department in the county that the prospective candidate is a resident. Every application made by the chief of the department requesting a candidate's admission shall be accompanied by a statement that the candidate has prospects, within the reasonable future, of a permanent appointment to the department sponsoring the candidate.

§353C-   Certificate of completion of training course. Upon the satisfactory completion of the prescribed course of training, the director shall issue to each candidate a certification of the candidate's qualifications for appointment.

§353C-   Expenses of academy; compensation of candidates. No tuition fee or any other charge shall be assessed against any county for the training of any candidate and the expense of that training shall be borne by the State."

SECTION 2. The director of public safety shall report to the governor and legislature a plan for statewide public safety training academies not later than December 31, 2004.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005, for the establishment of statewide public safety training academies.

SECTION 4. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of public safety for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2004.