Bill Text: MO HB1349 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes the board of directors of certain special purpose districts to appoint and employ as many district police officers as the board deems necessary
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-05-14 - Referred: Local Government (H) [HB1349 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2010-HB1349-Introduced.html
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE WALTON GRAY.
3777L.01I D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
Relating to special purpose districts' employment of police officers, with a penalty provision and an emergency clause.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section 1. 1. The board of directors of any ambulance, fire protection, school or other special purpose district of this state may appoint and employ as many district police officers as they may deem necessary to protect persons, property, and to preserve peace and good order only in the public buildings, properties, grounds, and other facilities and locations over which they have charge or control.
2. The district police officers, before they enter upon their duties, shall take and subscribe an oath of office before some officer authorized to administer oaths, to faithfully and impartially discharge the duties thereof, which oath shall be filed in the office of the district board of directors, and the secretary of the board shall give each district police officer so appointed and qualified a certificate of appointment, under the seal of the board of directors, which certificate shall empower him or her with the same authority to maintain order, preserve peace and make arrests as is now held by peace officers; the district police officer may in addition expel from the public buildings, campuses, and grounds, persons violating the rules and regulations that may be prescribed by the board of directors or others under the authority of the board. Such officer or employee of the district as may be designated by the board of directors shall have immediate charge, control and supervision of district police officers appointed by authority of this section. Except for any district police officers licensed as peace officers under chapter 590, such district police officers shall have satisfactorily completed before appointment, or before entering upon their duties, a training course for district police officers which shall consist of at least three hundred twenty hours as prescribed by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol. The district shall reimburse all such district police officers appointed by them who complete the training course for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in taking the training course, and shall reimburse the highway patrol for any expenses directly relating to the prescribed or holding of a training course which are recommended by the patrol.
3. Nothing herein shall be construed as denying the board of directors the right to appoint guards or watchmen who shall not be given the authority and powers hereby authorized.
4. Any person violating the rules and regulations that may be prescribed by the board of directors or any ordinance or law enacted for the preservation of peace is hereby declared to be guilty of a class B misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished as is provided by law or ordinance or rule or regulation therefore:
(1) The legal officer or district attorney shall serve ex-officio as a special assistant prosecuting attorney for the county in which the violation occurs and shall prosecute such violations in the associate circuit court of that county. Nothing herein shall be construed as denying the county or city prosecutor from prosecuting any violation of ordinances or law; or
(2) The board may adopt a specific ordinance to impose a fine or a series of fines for breaches of the peace of not more than five hundred dollars. The accused person may either appear in court at a set date or make payment to the officer appointed by the board, either in person or through the United States mail, with the moneys handled as are all other moneys of the district. If the fine is not paid by the deadline imposed, the violation and the failure to pay the fine or appear in court at the set date may be further prosecuted as provided in subdivision (1) of this subsection.
Section A. Because immediate action is necessary to protect persons and property and to preserve peace and good order in areas controlled by special purpose districts the enactment of section one of this act is deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health, welfare, peace, and safety, and is hereby declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the constitution, and the enactment of section one of this act shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval.
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