Committee advances bill allowing case-by-case certification review for some past felony convictions

The Senate Rules Committee voted to forward Senate Bill 1139 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. The bill would permit the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) council to review and grant certification to applicants with certain past felony convictions that are not among the most serious offenses listed in statute.

Sheriff Chris Goetz told the committee the bill draws a distinction between felonies that automatically disqualify a person from certification — serious offenses that also result in the loss of civil rights — and other felony convictions that could be considered for certification after review. He described a local employee who 24 years earlier had a dismissed grand-theft charge and later served honorably in the military; under current statute the employee could not be certified even with a local agency’s support.

Under the change, agency heads could hire an applicant and request certification but POST would have authority to grant or deny certification after review using factors set out in statute, including the seriousness and nature of the original offense, the applicant’s rehabilitation, passage of time and relationship of the crime to the officer duties.

Sheriff Goetz said the measure preserves the existing prohibition for the most serious felonies while allowing agencies and POST to consider individual circumstances for other felony convictions. The committee voted to send SB1139 to the floor on a voice vote. No members recorded opposition during the committee action.