Agenda - Council - 01/12/1982 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I I I I I I I I :1 I I I I I I I ment management firms. Such outside investments should not be limited to specialized portfolios such as real estate, but should permit a full ran§e of investment by each fund manager, to permit a valid comparison of investment performance. ' V. PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY V-l. Fire Personnel Standards (B) Fire suppression has traditionally been a unique- ly local function in Minnesota. Not only are fire- fighting problems vastly different from one com- munity to another, but well over ninety percent of Minnesota communities rely primarily on volun- teer firefighters for fire suppression. Because local governing bodies are best equipped to determine the nature of local fire risks, the level of local fire prevention efforts and the practical availability of firefighting personnel, and because power to conduct training on a multi-municipal basis, under the Joint Powers Act, exists and is being used, the League believes that the following principles should govern any state or federal efforts to im- p rove firefighti ng capabilities. 1. No governmentally established mandatory or suggested physical, physiological, educational, or compensation standards for recruitment or continued employment for firefighters should be created except at the level of the entity actually employing firefighting personnel. 2. [f any state or federal attempts are made to upgrade the quality, skills and ability of fire- fighting personnel in Minnesota, they should be effeetuyed by increased financial assistance to provide improved programs, or by direct employ- ment of specialized personnel at the state or federal level with such personnel made available to assist local units of government. V-2. Issues in Law Enforcement Personnel (A) The state government has been involved in po- lice training for a number of years during which a strategy has emerged directed at homogenizing law enforcement in the state without regard to the markedly different circumstances and social environments which exist in Minnesota. At the 1978 legislative session this threat culminated in a uniform state licensing requirement which was unprecedented within the United States, which mandated minimum standards for recruitment, training, and conduct, and which significantly impinged on the prerogatives of local govern- ment. Steps were taken at later sessions to amelio- rate the impact of state licensing by permitting employment of a lesser trained class of police employees, to allow upgrading of part-time police officers to fully licensed status and to provide fei' two elected city officials to represent cities on the POST Board. A major effort should be made by cities, the legislature, and other concerned parties to develop a rational response to a complex situation, with the League initiating action wherever appropriate. In developing legislation, the following guide- lines are recommended: 1. Since cities increasingly employ specialized law enforcement personnel, including part-time officers, reservists and paraprofessionals, they should clearly have the authority to establish their own standards for such personnel who are not authorized to carry firearms except in emergen- cies. 2. There should be consideration of the finan- cial impact of any state rules and regulations on the cost of law enforcement to. cities. Fol' example, uniform minimum recruitment standards may lead to minimum wages. Mandatory citizen complaint processing procedures on polic9 officer conduct and behavior may dictate extra cost to produce manuals and train personnel in their use. The state should subsidize any such extra costs. 3. Enforcement of standards of conduct and performance, and any other disciplinary matters, should not bypass normal city personnel proce- dures. Nor should state objectives be allowed to unnecessarily complicate local personnel prac- fives which have worked well in the past. Legis- lation authorizing the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board to establish minimum standards of conduct for police officers should be repealed. Standards judged by the legislature to be important and meaningful should be written directly into statutory law. 4. Special attention should be placed upon law enforcement problems in rural areas and in small cities where conventional approaches may not be practical. The state should provide variances for political subdivisions having particular difficul- ties in complying with licensing standards to per- mit phased compliance. Variances should be granted by the state POST Board. 5. The composition of the POST Board should not be altered further so as to dilute city represen- tation on the Board. -21 -