0001| HOUSE BILL 674 | 0002| 43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| ANNA MARIE CROOK | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| AN ACT | 0011| RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT; PROVIDING FOR THE COMMISSIONING OF | 0012| LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY PERSONNEL AS PEACE OFFICERS; REMOVING A | 0013| DEFINITION OF COMMISSIONED. | 0014| | 0015| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: | 0016| Section 1. Section 29-7-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1969, | 0017| Chapter 264, Section 7, as amended) is amended to read: | 0018| "29-7-5. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR.-- | 0019| A. The director shall: | 0020| [A.] (1) be the chief executive officer of | 0021| the academy and employ necessary personnel; | 0022| [B.] (2) issue a certificate of completion | 0023| to any person who graduates from an approved basic law | 0024| enforcement training program and who satisfies the | 0025| qualifications for certification as set forth in Section 29-7-6 | 0001| NMSA 1978; | 0002| [C.] (3) perform all other acts necessary | 0003| and appropriate to the carrying out of his duties; | 0004| [D.] (4) act as executive secretary to the | 0005| board; | 0006| [E.] (5) carry out the policy as set by | 0007| the board; and | 0008| [F.] (6) annually evaluate the courses of | 0009| instruction being offered by the academy and make necessary | 0010| modifications and adjustments to the programs. | 0011| B. The director and appropriate employees may be | 0012| commissioned as peace officers in the performance of their | 0013| duties." | 0014| Section 2. Section 29-7-7 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1981, | 0015| Chapter 114, Section 6, as amended) is amended to read: | 0016| "29-7-7. DEFINITIONS.--For the purpose of the Law | 0017| Enforcement Training Act: | 0018| A. "academy" means the New Mexico law enforcement | 0019| academy; | 0020| B. "basic law enforcement training" means a course | 0021| consisting of not less than four hundred hours of instruction | 0022| in basic law enforcement training as required by the Law | 0023| Enforcement Training Act; | 0024| C. "board" means the New Mexico law enforcement | 0025| academy board; | 0001| D. "conviction" means an adjudication of guilt or a | 0002| plea of no contest and includes convictions that are suspended | 0003| or deferred; | 0004| E. "director" means the director of the academy; | 0005| F. "in-service law enforcement training" means a | 0006| course of instruction required of all certified peace officers | 0007| designed to train and equip all police officers in the state | 0008| with specific law enforcement skills and to ensure the | 0009| continuing development of all police officers in the state. | 0010| The training and instruction shall be kept current and may be | 0011| conducted on a regional basis at the discretion of the | 0012| director; | 0013| G. "police officer" means any commissioned employee | 0014| of a law enforcement agency that is part of or administered by | 0015| the state or any political subdivision of the state and which | 0016| employee is responsible for the prevention and detection of | 0017| crime or the enforcement of the penal or traffic or highway | 0018| laws of this state. The term specifically includes deputy | 0019| sheriffs. Sheriffs are eligible to attend the academy and are | 0020| eligible to receive certification as provided in the Law | 0021| Enforcement Training Act [As used in this subsection, | 0022| "commissioned" means an employee of a law enforcement agency | 0023| who is authorized by a sheriff or chief of police to apprehend, | 0024| arrest and bring before the court all violators within the | 0025| state]; and | 0001| H. "certified regional law enforcement training | 0002| facility" means a law enforcement training facility within the | 0003| state certified by the director, with the approval of the | 0004| academy's board of directors, that offers basic law enforcement | 0005| training and in-service law enforcement training that is | 0006| comparable to or exceeds the standards of the programs of the | 0007| academy." | 0008| Section 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the | 0009| provisions of the provisions of this act is July 1, 1997. | 0010| - 4 - |