PRINTER'S NO. 1012
No. 894 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY MAYERNIK, KOSINSKI, MRKONIC, FOX, GODSHALL, FLICK,
CESSAR, TRELLO, McCALL, ITKIN, GEIST, REBER, BURD, CAWLEY,
PISTELLA, WOGAN, E. Z. TAYLOR, CLYMER, CORNELL, MARSICO,
McVERRY, NOYE, GIGLIOTTI, SAURMAN, RITTER AND J. H. CLARK,
APRIL 3, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, APRIL 3, 1989
AN ACT
1 Establishing a minimum education requirement for municipal
2 police officers and deputy sheriffs; and providing penalties.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Definitions.
6 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
7 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
8 context clearly indicates otherwise:
9 "Police department." Any public agency of a municipality
10 having general police powers and charged with making arrests in
11 connection with the enforcement of the criminal or traffic laws.
12 "Police officer." Any full-time or part-time employee of a
13 city, borough, town, township or county police department
14 assigned to law enforcement duties. The term does not include
15 persons employed to check parking meters or to perform only
16 administrative duties, nor does it include auxiliary and fire
1 police.
2 Section 2. Minimum education requirement for police officers
3 and deputy sheriffs.
4 No person shall be employed or appointed as a police officer
5 or deputy sheriff unless the person is a high school graduate or
6 has received a secondary school diploma on the basis of general
7 education development (GED).
8 Section 3. Penalty.
9 Any official of a municipality who employs, appoints or
10 authorizes the employment or appointment of a police officer or
11 deputy sheriff in violation of the provisions of this act
12 commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be
13 sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $500 or to imprisonment
14 for not more than 30 days, or both.
15 Section 4. Applicability.
16 This act shall apply to all police officers and deputy
17 sheriffs employed or appointed after the effective date of this
18 act.
19 Section 5. Effective date.
20 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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