AB1181: Bill Text

LRB-5953/1

MJW:cdc

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Assembly BILL 1181

March 22, 2024 - Introduced by Representatives Jacobson, Spiros, Ratcliff, Conley, C. Anderson, Ortiz-Velez, Subeck and Stubbs, cosponsored by Senators James and Spreitzer. Referred to Committee on State Affairs.

AB1181,1,3 An Act to create 20.455 (2) (cs) and 165.985 of the statutes; relating to: law enforcement agency third-party accreditation award program and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Justice to establish an award program that provides awards on a first-come, first-served basis to law enforcement agencies that have gone through an approved third-party accreditation process. Under the bill, there are two tiers of award funding available: the higher tier of funding provides $25,000 to law enforcement agencies that have received full state or national accreditation and the lower tier of funding provides $8,000 to law enforcement agencies that have received core or partial state or national accreditation. Under the bill, a law enforcement agency may receive an award once every three years.

The bill provides $792,200 in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $1,042,200 in the 2024-25 fiscal year for this purpose and increases the authorized full-time equivalent positions for DOJ by one position to administer the award program created in the bill.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB1181,1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB1181,2 Section 2 . 20.455 (2) (cs) of the statutes is created to read:

AB1181,2,6 20.455 (2) (cs) Law enforcement agency 3rd-party accreditation award program. The amounts in the schedule to provide awards to Wisconsin law enforcement agencies under s. 165.985 (2).

AB1181,3 Section 3. 165.985 of the statutes is created to read:

AB1181,2,9 165.985 Law enforcement agency 3rd-party accreditation award program. (1) In this section:

AB1181,2,13 (a) “Third-party accreditation” means a process in which a professional accreditation entity that has been approved by the department of justice under sub. (5) conducts an independent review and evaluation of law enforcement agency operations and compliance with prescribed standards.

AB1181,2,18 (b) “Wisconsin law enforcement agency" means a governmental unit of one or more persons employed full time by this state or a political subdivision of this state for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime and enforcing state laws or local ordinances, employees of which unit are authorized to make arrests for crimes while acting within the scope of their authority.

AB1181,3,10 (2) From the appropriation under s. 20.455 (2) (cs), the department of justice shall provide awards to Wisconsin law enforcement agencies to fund law enforcement agency 3rd-party accreditation. The department of justice may issue an award under this subsection to a Wisconsin law enforcement agency after the Wisconsin law enforcement agency has successfully completed an accreditation or reaccreditation process. The department of justice shall issue awards under this subsection in the order in which award applications are received. The department of justice may establish additional criteria and procedures for the distribution of awards under this subsection. Notwithstanding s. 227.10 (1), the department of justice need not promulgate the criteria and procedures as rules under ch. 227.

AB1181,3,11 (3) Awards under sub. (2) shall be in the following amounts:

AB1181,3,13 (a) For a Wisconsin law enforcement agency that is fully accredited as meeting state or national law enforcement standards, $25,000.

AB1181,3,15 (b) For a Wisconsin law enforcement agency that is core accredited or partially accredited as meeting state or national law enforcement standards, $8,000.

AB1181,3,18 (4) A Wisconsin law enforcement agency may receive an award under sub. (2) once every 3 years, after successful completion of the accreditation or reaccreditation process.

AB1181,3,20 (5) The department of justice shall identify and publish a list of approved professional accreditation entities.

AB1181,4 Section 4. Fiscal changes.

AB1181,4,5 (1) Law enforcement agency 3rd-party accreditation award program administration. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2023-24 is increased by $127,200 to increase the authorized FTE positions for the department by 1.0 GPR position to administer the law enforcement 3rd-party accreditation award program. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2024-25 is increased by $127,200 to provide funding for the position authorized under this subsection.

AB1181,4,6 (End)