HARRISBURG, Pa. — The House and Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation that would make it easier for public universities to hire campus police officers.
The action was applauded by the bill’s sponsors, state representatives Clint Ouellet, Donna Oberlander and Jim Struzzi, who represent Mansfield, Clarion and Indiana universities, respectively.
House Bill 1988 will refer campus police departments and campus police officers at PASSHE schools under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officer Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) for police certification, commission and training.
The change would allow a campus officer to be hired immediately by the state’s campus police, rather than going through a potentially months-long process of getting a commission from the governor through the state Department of Education.
MPOETC-trained officers can be immediately hired by municipal police departments and public university campuses; only those who wish to work on the campuses of the state system must go through the additional step of obtaining a commission from the state. That, lawmakers said, puts the state system’s campuses at a disadvantage when recruiting officers.
“Campus safety is more important than ever, and this simple and common sense change in the law will make it easier for campus leaders to meet the public safety needs of students, faculty and staff,” Owlett said. “I appreciate the bipartisan support for this measure and encourage the Senate to act quickly.”
“Eliminating this unnecessary and duplicative paperwork will help make our campuses safer because it will allow officers to get to work much faster,” Oberlander said.
“Campuses like Indiana University of Pennsylvania and its PASSHE counterparts are understaffed, just like many other organizations in today’s world,” Struzzi said. “I am pleased to see my colleagues in the House of Representatives unanimously advance this legislation so that we can move closer to full safety and providing a safe educational environment.”
A 1988 House bill would also make it so recent that future reforms to laws affecting law enforcement would automatically apply to campus police officers. It would also allow the state system’s university police officers to wear body cameras, further enhancing campus police accountability and community trust.
Finally, the bill was amended by the Senate to allow school police officers previously certified by the MPOETC to continue their certification. Under current law, MPOETC’s certification expires two years from the date of issue, and because school districts do not fall under the definition of “law enforcement,” MPOETC cannot recertify school police officers. Accordingly, school police officers certified by the MPOETC lose their certification if they have been employed at a school for more than two years.
The bill passed the state House of Representatives in June by a 200-to-1 vote. It was approved by the state Senate on Tuesday in a 49-0 vote. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who is the Republican gubernatorial candidate, campaigned in the run-up to the Nov. 8 election and did not vote.
The bill is now awaiting approval by the governor. If signed by the governor, the law will take effect immediately.
https://www.indianagazette.com/news/state/bill-to-hire-campus-police-at-passhe-schools-heads-to-governors-desk/article_d468b712-405b-5031-b622-2ed1befbebac.html