HB 377: "An Act relating to the village public safety officer program."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 377 01 "An Act relating to the village public safety officer program." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. AS 18.65.085(c) is amended to read: 04 (c) The Department of Public Safety may establish and administer a reward 05 program, and provide grants to boroughs acting on behalf of a village or a city 06 within the borough, municipalities, established villages, and, at the request of a 07 municipality or established village, to a nonprofit association that administers a village 08 public safety officer program, for reward programs leading to the apprehension and 09 conviction of persons who violate AS 04.09.060, 04.09.800, or AS 04.11.010 by 10 selling, importing, or possessing alcoholic beverages in violation of a local option 11 adopted by a municipality or established village under AS 04.11.491. 12 * Sec. 2. AS 18.65.670(a) is amended to read: 13 (a) The village public safety officer program is created in the department, with 14 funding appropriated to the department, including from gifts or donations received 15 from nonprofit regional corporations, municipalities, and other sources, and
01 disbursed by the commissioner through grants made under this section. The purpose of 02 the program is to appoint, train, supervise, support, and retain persons to serve as 03 village public safety officers. 04 * Sec. 3. AS 18.65.670(b) is amended to read: 05 (b) With funds appropriated for that purpose, the commissioner shall provide 06 grants to boroughs acting on behalf of a village or a city within the borough, 07 nonprofit regional corporations, and Alaska Native organizations for training and 08 employment of village public safety officers. If a borough acting on behalf of a 09 village, a nonprofit regional corporation for a village, or Alaska Native organization 10 for the village does not exist or declines a grant under this subsection, the 11 commissioner may provide the grant to a municipality with a population of less than 12 10,000 willing to administer the grant for the village. If a borough acting on behalf 13 of a village, a nonprofit regional corporation, or Alaska Native organization declines a 14 grant, the commissioner shall consult with the corporation or organization before 15 awarding the grant to a municipality. 16 * Sec. 4. AS 18.65.670(c) is amended to read: 17 (c) The commissioner shall annually accept applications from entities 18 described in (b) of this section for village public safety officer grants. Grant applicants 19 may apply to employ village public safety officers in a participating village, or in a 20 city if a borough is acting on behalf of a city within the borough, [VILLAGES] 21 located in the applicant's region. An application must include 22 (1) a projected budget, including administrative costs; 23 (2) a list of villages or cities in which the applicant plans to employ 24 village public safety officers; and 25 (3) other information required by the commissioner. 26 * Sec. 5. AS 18.65.670(e) is amended to read: 27 (e) An award of grant funding, depending on the funds awarded, must provide 28 for at least one village public safety officer for each village or city included in a grant 29 agreement entered into under (d) of this section. A grant recipient may assign more 30 than one village public safety officer to a village or city and request additional 31 funding for the additional village public safety officer. The commissioner may
01 approve the request for additional funding if the grant recipient provides justification 02 reasonably related to the duties of a village public safety officer and other public 03 safety needs. 04 * Sec. 6. AS 18.65.670(h) is amended to read: 05 (h) The commissioner may, in consultation with grant recipients, as provided 06 in (k) of this section, adopt regulations related to village public safety officers, 07 including establishing minimum standards and training, physical fitness requirements, 08 criteria for participation by a borough, a community, a municipality, an Alaska Native 09 organization, or a corporation, and the interaction between the department and village 10 public safety officers. If the commissioner adopts regulations regarding training for 11 village public safety officers, the training must be consistent with the standards in 12 AS 18.65.676 and disability training under AS 18.65.220(3). The commissioner of 13 corrections may, in consultation with grant recipients, adopt regulations related to the 14 functions of village public safety officers providing pretrial, probation, and parole 15 supervision. 16 * Sec. 7. AS 33.30.012(a) is amended to read: 17 (a) Within 30 days before release of a sex offender or child kidnapper with a 18 duty to register under AS 12.63, the commissioner shall complete the registration of 19 the sex offender or child kidnapper if the offender or kidnapper has not previously 20 registered. The commissioner shall take the sex offender's or child kidnapper's 21 photograph, and determine if legible fingerprints of the sex offender or child 22 kidnapper have been previously provided to the Department of Public Safety; if 23 legible fingerprints for the sex offense or child kidnapping have not previously been 24 provided to the Department of Public Safety, the commissioner shall obtain the sex 25 offender's or child kidnapper's fingerprints in the manner required by the Department 26 of Public Safety and shall immediately forward the fingerprints to the department. 27 When completing the registration or taking the photograph under this subsection, the 28 commissioner shall also send written notice of release, parole, community placement, 29 work release placement, or furlough of a sex offender or child kidnapper to 30 (1) the chief of police of the community, if any, in which the inmate 31 will reside;
01 (2) the Alaska state trooper post located nearest to where the inmate 02 will reside; 03 (3) the village public safety officer of the rural community or city 04 without a municipal police department or Alaska state trooper post in which the 05 inmate will reside; and 06 (4) the central registry of sex offenders and child kidnappers.