CHAPTER 1

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 1. Statutory Authority. Pursuant to W.S. 9-1-701 through 9-1-710 The Wyoming Peace Officer's Standards and Training Commission is required to adopt rules and standards which shall be in accordance with provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act (W.S.16-3-101 to 16-3-115).

Section 2. Purpose. The purpose of the Peace Officer's Standards and Training Commission is to raise and maintain the level of competence within the law enforcement community by:

(a) Establishing minimum standards for employment and retention of peace officer personnel;

(b) Establishing minimum standards for the training and education of peace officer personnel;

(d) Establish course requirements and continuing education requirements for correctional officer training;

(e) Cooperating with the Board of Coroners Standards in establishing course requirements and continuing education requirements for coroners;

(f) Promoting the planning and development of a systematic career development program for peace officer professionals by providing and encouraging advanced or specialized training, education, and certification;

(g) Planning and promoting the development and improvement of a comprehensive program of education and training in the administration of criminal justice;

(h) Conducting and stimulating research and planning, by public and private agencies, designed to improve education and training in the administration of criminal justice;

(i) Reviewing and evaluating the recruitment, selection, education and training of peace officer personnel and recommending improvements;

(j) Maintaining liaison among local, state, and federal agencies with respect to peace officer and dispatcher education and training, and

(k) Authorizing the issuance of an identification card to retired and disabled peace officers.

Section 3. Definitions.

(a) "Accredited college" means a junior college, college or university accredited as such by the Department of Education of the state in which the junior college, college or university is located, a recognized national accrediting body, the state university in the state in which the junior college or university is located, or the Commission;

(b) "Commission" means the Wyoming Peace Officer's Standards and Training Commission, or employees thereof on its behalf;

(c) "Detention officer" means a person who is employed by a county or municipality on a full-time basis to care for, supervise and control persons detained in a jail or holding facility;

(d) "Detention officer training" means an approved school or local detention officer training program authorized by the Commission to train detention officers;

(e) "Department" shall mean a police department, sheriff's department, highway patrol, state division of criminal investigation, game and fish department, campus police or any other law enforcement unit;

(f) "Director" means the executive director of the Commission;

(g) "Inactive" means a status assigned to a peace officer, detention officer or dispatcher who has been certified by the State of Wyoming but is no longer employed by a municipal, county or political subdivision in Wyoming;

(h) "Law enforcement unit" means a public agency having police power and charged with enforcing state criminal statutes or municipal ordinances;

(i) "Peace officer" means a person as defined by W.S. 7-2-101;

(j) "Peace officer training" means an approved school or local peace officer training program authorized by the Commission to train peace officers;

(k) "Permanent appointment" shall mean an appointment having permanent full time status as a peace officer in a law enforcement agency as described in these rules;

(l) "Part-time or reserve peace officer" means any person having peace officer authority acting less than full time in the service of any county, municipality or state agency, whether compensated or not;

(m) "School" shall mean any school, college, university, academy, or local training program which offers law enforcement training. This term includes within its meaning a combination of courses, curriculum, instructors and facilities;

(n) "Temporary appointment" shall mean an appointment as a peace officer in a position which has a time limitation placed upon it or is not of a continuing nature;

(o) "Dispatcher" means a person who is employed by a state, county or municipal law enforcement agency, fire service or licensed ambulance service on a full or part-time basis, to answer and dispatch calls for emergency and non-emergency situations via designated law enforcement and emergency telecommunications equipment, and

(p) "The Act" means the Wyoming Peace Officers Standards and Training Act, W.S.9-1-701 through 9-1-710.

(q) “Certified correctional officer” means a person who is employed by the Wyoming department of corrections on a full-time basis to care for, supervise, control and maintain custody of persons confined in Wyoming department of corrections institutions and who has completed all requirements for certification as a correctional officer under this act;

(r) “Correctional officer” means a person who is employed by the Wyoming Department of Corrections on a full-time basis to care for, supervise and maintain custody of persons confined in Wyoming Department of Corrections institutions;

(s) “Correctional officer training” means an approved Wyoming Department of Corrections pre-service academy or other correctional officer training program authorized by the commission to train correctional officers for the state; and

(t) “Part-time correctional officer” means a person is employed by the Wyoming Department of Corrections on a part-time basis to care for, supervise and maintain custody of persons confined in Wyoming Department of Corrections institutions.