THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY BOYLE, BRENNAN, BURNS, FREEMAN, HARHAI, JOSEPHS, KORTZ, MANN, McGEEHAN, MURPHY, M. O'BRIEN, PETRI, SIPTROTH, VEREB AND YOUNGBLOOD, FEBRUARY 3, 2010

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010  

AN ACT

Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), entitled

"An act providing for and reorganizing the conduct of the

executive and administrative work of the Commonwealth by the

Executive Department thereof and the administrative

departments, boards, commissions, and officers thereof,

including the boards of trustees of State Normal Schools, or

Teachers Colleges; abolishing, creating, reorganizing or

authorizing the reorganization of certain administrative

departments, boards, and commissions; defining the powers and

duties of the Governor and other executive and administrative

officers, and of the several administrative departments,

boards, commissions, and officers; fixing the salaries of the

Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and certain other executive

and administrative officers; providing for the appointment of

certain administrative officers, and of all deputies and

other assistants and employes in certain departments, boards,

and commissions; and prescribing the manner in which the

number and compensation of the deputies and all other

assistants and employes of certain departments, boards and

commissions shall be determined," further providing for the

Pennsylvania State Police.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 205 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177,

No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, amended July

25, 1963 (P.L.278, No.148), December 5, 1967 (P.L.673, No.313),

and July 11, 1991 (P.L.73, No.12), is amended to read:

Section 205.  Pennsylvania State Police.--(a)  The

Pennsylvania State Police shall consist of a Commissioner, a

Deputy Commissioner, the State police force, and the State

Highway Patrol, as now authorized by law, which are hereby

consolidated into one force, to be known as the State Police

Force, and such chiefs, statisticians, clerks, experts and other

assistants, as the commissioner, with the approval of the

Governor, shall deem necessary for the work of the force.

(b)  The State Police Force shall consist of such number of

officers and men, and shall be organized in such manner, as the

Commissioner of Pennsylvania State Police, with the approval of

the Governor, shall from time to time determine: Provided,

however, That the number of officers and men shall not exceed in

the aggregate at any time three thousand nine hundred and forty

persons. State policemen, both officers and men, assigned to

duty with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission or assigned to

duty as resident State troopers, shall not be counted in

determining the total number of officers and men in the State

Police Force. 

(c)  The members of the State Police Force and the chiefs,

statisticians, clerks, experts, and other assistants, engaged in

the work of the Pennsylvania State Police shall be appointed by

the commissioner, and shall receive such compensation as shall

be fixed by the commissioner, with the approval of the Governor,

which compensation shall, however, conform to the standards

established by the Executive Board.

(d)  Any member of the Pennsylvania State Police, except the

Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, regardless of rank, who

has attained or who shall attain the age of sixty years, shall

resign from membership in the said police force: Provided,

however, That the provision of this paragraph shall not apply to

members of the State Police Force who upon attaining the age of

sixty years shall have less than twenty years of service. Upon

completion of twenty years of service, the provision of this

paragraph shall become applicable to such persons.

(e)  No enlisted member of the Pennsylvania State Police

shall be dismissed from service or reduced in rank except by

action of a court martial board held upon the recommendation of

the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police and the

Governor.

(f)  All new cadets and troopers shall serve a probationary

period of eighteen months from date of original enlistment,

during which time they may be dismissed by the commissioner for

violations of rules and regulations, incompetency, and

inefficiency without action of a court-martial board or the

right of appeal to a civil court.

(g)  The Pennsylvania State Police force shall include, but

not be limited to, two underwater search teams, one of which

shall be in eastern Pennsylvania and one of which shall be in

western Pennsylvania.

(h)  The Pennsylvania State Police shall develop a training

course on the handling, investigation and response procedures

concerning reports of domestic violence and it shall include

information concerning the impact of domestic violence on

society; the dynamics of domestic violence; the statutory and

case law concerning domestic violence; the necessary elements of

a protection order; and the use of available community

resources, support services, available sanctions and treatment

options. The Pennsylvania State Police shall require all new

officers to complete this training course within ninety days of

appointment or transfer and require all current officers to

fulfill an annual in-service training of at least four hours of

training in this area.

Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.