April 3, 2023 - Introduced by Senators Jacque and Tomczyk, cosponsored by Representatives Krug, Callahan, Armstrong, Behnke, Brandtjen, Green, Moses and Mursau. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government.
SB209,,22An Act to amend 20.455 (2) (as) and 165.85 (5) (b); and to create 66.0512, 165.28 (4) and 165.85 (5) (bm) of the statutes; relating to: increasing the law enforcement training reimbursement, school resource officers, and making an appropriation. SB209,,33Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau Under current law, the Law Enforcement Standards Board reimburses each political subdivision for the costs associated with preparatory training and annual recertification training for law enforcement officers, jail officers, and juvenile detention officers. A “political subdivision” means a county, city, village, town, town sanitary district, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation district, and technical college district.
Under current law, reimbursement to a political subdivision for annual recertification training must be at least $160 per officer. This bill increases the reimbursement to at least $320 per officer.
The bill also requires LESB to reimburse the costs of preparatory training that were paid by an individual who completed the training and subsequently became a certified law enforcement officer, jail officer, or juvenile detention officer in addition to those costs that were paid by a political subdivision on behalf of a recruit.
Current law provides standards and training requirements for law enforcement officers, but current law does not provide specific standards or training requirements for school resource officers, who are law enforcement officers assigned by a law enforcement agency to work in collaboration with a school district, private school, or independent charter school. The bill requires the Office of School Safety in the Department of Justice to develop standards and approve a certified training program for school resource officers. The bill prohibits law enforcement agencies from assigning officers after September 1, 2024, as school resource officers unless they have completed a training program that OSS has approved.
The bill also requires OSS to maintain a database of all school resource officers. Under the bill, OSS must include in the database the school district, private school, or independent charter school to which each school resource officer is assigned and when the officer completed the training required under the bill.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
SB209,,44The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: SB209,15Section 1. 20.455 (2) (as) of the statutes is amended to read: SB209,,6620.455 (2) (as) Officer training reimbursements; supplemental funds. The amounts in the schedule to make payments under s. 165.85 (5) (b) and (bm) and (5x). SB209,27Section 2. 66.0512 of the statutes is created to read: SB209,,8866.0512 School resource officers. (1) In this section: SB209,,99(a) “Law enforcement agency” has the meaning given in s. 165.83 (1) (b). SB209,,1010(b) “Law enforcement officer” means a person who is employed by the state or a political subdivision of the state for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime and enforcing laws or ordinances and who is authorized to make arrests for violations of the laws or ordinances that the person is employed to enforce. SB209,,1111(c) “School resource officer” means a law enforcement officer who is deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned by the law enforcement agency that employs him or her to work in a full-time capacity in collaboration with a school district, a governing body of a private school, or an operator of a charter school authorized under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x). SB209,,1212(2) No law enforcement agency may assign a law enforcement officer to be a school resource officer unless the law enforcement officer completes a training program that is approved under s. 165.28 (4) (a). SB209,,1313(3) If a law enforcement agency assigns a law enforcement officer to be a school resource officer, the law enforcement agency shall provide the department of justice with the information the department requests for the database under s. 165.28 (4) (b). SB209,314Section 3. 165.28 (4) of the statutes is created to read: SB209,,1515165.28 (4) (a) No later than 90 days after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], develop standards and approve a certified training program regarding the role and function of school resource officers, deescalation techniques, and the employment of law enforcement officers in an educational environment. In this subsection, “school resource officer” has the meaning given in s. 66.0512 (1) (c). SB209,,1616(b) Maintain a database of individuals employed as school resource officers. The database shall include, for each school resource officer, the school district, the private school, or the charter school authorized under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) to which the school resource officer is assigned and when the school resource officer completed the training program required under s. 66.0512 (2). SB209,417Section 4. 165.85 (5) (b) of the statutes is amended to read: SB209,,1818165.85 (5) (b) The board shall authorize the reimbursement to each political subdivision of approved expenses incurred by recruits who satisfactorily complete training at schools certified by the board. Reimbursement of these expenses for law enforcement officer, jail officer and juvenile detention officer preparatory training shall be for board approved tuition, living, and travel expenses. Reimbursement of approved expenses for completion of annual recertification training under sub. (4) shall include at least $160 $320 per officer thereafter. Funds may also be distributed for attendance at other training programs and courses or for training services on a priority basis to be decided by the department of justice. SB209,519Section 5. 165.85 (5) (bm) of the statutes is created to read: SB209,,2020165.85 (5) (bm) The board shall reimburse approved expenses for an individual who satisfactorily completes preparatory training at a board-certified school and who subsequently becomes certified as a law enforcement officer, jail officer, or juvenile detention officer. Expenses eligible for reimbursement under this paragraph include tuition and living and travel expenses. SB209,621Section 6. Fiscal changes. SB209,,2222(1) In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (as), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2023-24 is increased by $4,480,000. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (as), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2024-25 is increased by $4,480,000. SB209,723Section 7. Initial applicability. SB209,,2424(1) The treatment of s. 66.0512 (2) first applies to assignments made, renewed, or extended on the effective date of this subsection.
