officers and constables, and private individuals authorized with
arrest or other police powers, including humane society police
officers and transportation agency police; and
WHEREAS, The categories of individuals authorized to exercise
arrest or other police powers in current law include forest
rangers, fire wardens, cemetery watchmen and horticultural
exhibit police, among others; and
WHEREAS, The laws establishing these nontraditional
categories of individuals authorized to exercise arrest or other
police powers may be obsolete, benefit from consolidation with
traditional law enforcement agencies or require updated training
requirements; and
WHEREAS, Policymakers in this Commonwealth would benefit from
a complete accounting of all those individuals presently
authorized to exercise arrest or other police powers in this
Commonwealth, as well as a description of the scope of those
powers and the training requirements associated with each;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study regarding
identifying and evaluating all categories of individuals in this
Commonwealth authorized to exercise arrest or other police
powers; and be it further
RESOLVED, That for each category identified, the study shall
determine:
(1) the legal authority, including statutory, regulatory
or common law, authorizing the exercise of arrest or other
police powers;
(2) the appointing authority, if any;
(3) the qualifications for hiring or appointment, as
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