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Bill to ease hiring of out‑of‑state police officers draws questions about discipline records
Summary
Senate Bill 1479, requested by Roanoke police, would streamline certification for out‑of‑state law enforcement hires; the committee approved a substitute that drew support from Roanoke officials and concern from some senators about disciplinary history checks and minimum training standards.
Senator Stuilhan introduced Senate Bill 1479 at the request of the Roanoke City Police Department to make it easier for Virginia agencies to hire certified officers from other states. The bill would clarify the requirements that must be met for cross‑state certification and seek to reduce uncertainty about what additional training a newly hired officer must complete after employment.
Mike Crowley, deputy chief of Roanoke Police, told the committee his department has had trouble recruiting and that the current waiver and recognition process can be unpredictable for candidates and agencies. “We seek to increase our police officer recruitment across the state of Virginia and allowing officers from other states to streamline that process in which we can recognize the training and experience that they have obtained from other communities,” Crowley said.
Several senators asked whether the bill would require out‑of‑state officers to meet Virginia minimum training standards and whether disciplinary histories or prior revocations of certification in other states would be evaluated. Crowley and other supporters said the intention was to preserve necessary Virginia training and background checks; Crowley noted supplemental training and background investigation would take place at the agency level. "That is typically done at the agency level under background investigation," he said when asked about revoked certifications elsewhere.
Senator McShane suggested an amendment to require consideration of disciplinary records, and the sponsor expressed willingness to work on refinements. The committee adopted a substitute and reported the bill to the Senate with the motion to pass by indefinitely taking precedence; the roll call on the substitute was close (ayes 8, no 7).
