Agenda - Council - 05/27/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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'6. Enforcement of standards of conduct and performance, and any other disciplinary matters, should not bypass normal city personnel procedures. Nor should state objectives be allowed to unnecessarily complicate local personnel practices which have worked well in the past. Legislation authorizing the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board to establish minimum standards of conduct for police officers should be repealed.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. 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 permit phased compliance. Variances should be granted by the state POST Board. The composition of the POST Board should be altered to include majority representation from elected or appointed non-law enforcement city and county of- ficials, no more than half of which could be from the seve. n-county metropolitan area. The opportunity to undertake academic work at post-secondary schools is a valua- ble pre-sep/ice training experience for po- tential police officers. The League encour- ages the continued development of a program of pre-employment training and qualification of peace officer candidates in a variety of locations through the state. The existence of a program for law enforce- ment personnel qualification at post-se- condary institutions, however, should not be allowed to foreclose the possibility of recruitment for the position of licensed peace officer from within the ranks of reservists and part-time officers, and qualification on the basis of a local train- ing and experience program together with a short and reasonably available skills training program, as approved by the POST Board. Uniform colors No advantage of nor need for state rules which dictate the color or design of uniforms, automo- biles or other equipment used by local police agencies has been demonstrated. Such rules are in- consistent with the traditional League objectives of local autonomy and home rule and may in- volve additional costs to local government. There- fore, the League opposes such state rules as to color of uniforms, police cars and other non performance related equipment standards. Building and energy code A uniform, statewide building and energy code should be adopted by the legislature only if the following optional enforcement methods are in- cluded: 1. Option local (city, county or town) inspec- tion and enforcement. State fee inspectors who may be used for inspection in areas outside of communi- ties with local enforcement. ° The housing warranty law should include a one-year warranty that the dwelling be free from defects caused by faulty work- manship and defective materials due to noncompliance with the state building and energy codes. All architects and engineers who design any structure must certify that the struc- ture complies with the state building and energy codes. The League recommends that a legislative com- mission on building and energy standards be estab- lished to review the state building and energy codes with the objective of reviewing the rewriting of these standards to assure compliance with fed- eral energy requirements and to remove those parts of the standards not directly related to energy conservation and the public's health, we[fare and safety. Emergency medical services Cities as a group are the single largest provider of ambulance services in the state and form a vital part of the network of emergency services. To - 18-