ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
REVISED
Purpose
Permits Arizona State Parks
Board and county park rangers who are certified peace officers to join the
Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS).
Background
State and county park rangers who are certified peace officers receive the same mandatory annual training from the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) as other law enforcement officers. In addition to annual training, the certification process requires a minimum of 585 hours of initial training including an introduction to criminal justice, firearms and driving instruction.
While many park rangers conduct visitor education and provide informational assistance, certified peace officers also perform law enforcement duties. Handling traditional police matters such as DUIs, traffic violations and assaults in fairly remote areas, these rangers are often the only law enforcement for miles.
Employee retention is a serious problem for the park services. Arizona State Parks has lost 14 percent of its officers to other law enforcement agencies in the past two years while the Maricopa County Park Police has experienced a 100 percent turnover in the past four years. Both park services assert that the primary cause of this retention problem is a park ranger’s inability to participate in the PSPRS.
This bill has no immediate fiscal impact to the general fund because it
makes State Park rangers eligible to join -- but does not confer participation
in -- PSPRS. However, it is very likely
that the Parks Board will request an additional appropriation (amount unknown
at this time) in FY 2001-2002 to fund the joinder of such officers into
PSPRS. The county park rangers are not
funded by state funds and therefore present no fiscal impact.
1.
Allows
Arizona State Parks Board rangers and managers and county park rangers who are
certified peace officers to join PSPRS.
2.
Specifies
that joinder into PSPRS by Arizona State Parks Board rangers is subject to
legislative appropriation.
3.
Contains
technical and conforming changes.
4.
Provides
for a general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Appropriations Committee
1. Clarifies that joinder into PSPRS is subject to legislative appropriation and eliminates certain appropriation language.
Senate Action
FIR 2/2/00 DP 6-0-1-0
APPROP 2/9/00 DPA 9-0-5-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 10, 2000