Amd §§2555 & 2514, add §§319, 355-f & 6204-b, Ed L; add Art 4 Title C §67, Civ Serv L
Provides for the establishment of police training high schools in certain city school districts; provides for further education and employment; establishes preferential admissions criteria for the state and city universities; establishes preferential civil service criteria in the recruitment of police officers.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1431
SPONSOR: Aubry TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law and the civil service law, in relation
to providing for police training high schools in certain city school
districts and making provisions for their graduates' further education
and recruitment
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this legislation is to establish police training high
schools or programs in the "Big Five" school districts with the excep-
tion of the city of New York. The city of New York may establish a high
school in each of its boroughs. The high schools would focus on educat-
ing, recruiting and training future police officers.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: The section heading of section 2555 of the education law,
such section as renumbered by chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is
amended and a new subdivision 4 is added.
Section 2: The section heading of section 2514 of the education law, as
added by chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is amended and a new subdivi-
sion 4 is added.
Section 3: The education law is amended by adding a new section 319.
Section 4: The education law is amended by adding a new section 355-f.
Section 5: The education law is amended by adding a new section 6204-b
Section 6: Article 4 of the civil service law is amended by adding a new
title C. Section 7: Sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In light of past and recent incidents of police misdeeds, community
support and faith for police officers is waning. The long-standing
relationship between police and community is quickly deteriorating in
our large cities. Community support, faith and cooperation are important
ingredients in the shared relationship between communities and their law
enforcement agency.
This bill aims to amend the severed relationship between police and
community by creating specialized police high schools/programs that will
locally recruit, train and educate future police officers. The special-
ized high schools will create police officers that are more aware and
sensitized to their community.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-2022: Referred to Education in 2021 and Referred to Education in
2022.
2019-2020: Referred to Education in 2019 and Referred to Education in
2020.
2017-2018: Referred to Education in 2017 and Referred to Education in
2018.
2015-2016: Referred to Education in 2015 and Referred to Education in
2016.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1431
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. AUBRY -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law and the civil service law, in relation
to providing for police training high schools in certain city school
districts and making provisions for their graduates' further education
and recruitment
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The section heading of section 2555 of the education law,
2 such section as renumbered by chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is
3 amended and a new subdivision 4 is added to read as follows:
4 Kindergartens, nursery [and], night schools and police training high
5 schools.
6 4. a. Each school district subject to the provisions of this article
7 may establish a police training high school or police training program
8 in an existing high school within its district, except that the city of
9 New York may establish such a high school in each of its boroughs. Such
10 high schools or programs shall serve students in grades nine through
11 twelve and shall provide, in addition to the standard high school
12 curriculum otherwise prescribed by law, specialized courses containing
13 education and training to prepare students for admission to police acad-
14 emies and careers as police officers.
15 b. Guidelines for the curriculum for such police education and train-
16 ing courses shall be prescribed by the commissioner, in consultation
17 with the division of criminal justice services and the municipal police
18 training council. Each high school or program may further develop its
19 own curriculum in consultation with a unit of the state university of
20 New York or the city university of New York having a criminal justice
21 school or program.
22 c. Such high schools or programs shall serve students living in police
23 precincts having high juvenile delinquency rates. School authorities
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03183-01-3
A. 1431 2
1 shall recruit students from such areas. Each class shall contain no more
2 than twenty students, and each high school or program shall contain no
3 more than twenty classes.
4 d. The police training curriculum shall include a summer school compo-
5 nent. This component shall be offered at one or more of the campuses of
6 the city university of New York or the state university of New York
7 having programs in criminal justice. Necessary arrangements therefor
8 shall be made by the commissioner in consultation with the chancellors
9 of such universities. The commissioner may, in his or her discretion,
10 arrange for a summer school component to be offered at a community
11 college.
12 § 2. The section heading of section 2514 of the education law, as
13 added by chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is amended and a new subdivi-
14 sion 4 is added to read as follows:
15 Kindergartens, nursery [and], night schools and police training high
16 schools.
17 4. a. Each school district subject to the provisions of this article,
18 in a city having a population of one hundred thousand or more, may
19 establish a police training high school or police training programs in
20 an existing high school within its district, except that the city of New
21 York may establish such a high school in each of its boroughs. Such high
22 schools or programs shall serve students in grades nine through twelve
23 and shall provide, in addition to the standard high school curriculum
24 otherwise prescribed by law, specialized courses containing education
25 and training to prepare students for admission to police academies and
26 careers as police officers.
27 b. Guidelines for the curriculum for such police education and train-
28 ing courses shall be prescribed by the commissioner, in consultation
29 with the division of criminal justice services and the municipal police
30 training council. Each high school or program may further develop its
31 own curriculum in consultation with a unit of the state university of
32 New York or the city university of New York having a criminal justice
33 school or program.
34 c. Such high schools or programs shall serve students living in police
35 precincts having high juvenile delinquency rates. School authorities
36 shall recruit students from such areas. Each class shall contain no more
37 than twenty students, and each high school or program shall contain no
38 more than twenty classes.
39 d. The police training curriculum shall include a summer school compo-
40 nent. This component shall be offered at one or more of the campuses of
41 the city university of New York or the state university of New York
42 having programs in criminal justice. Necessary arrangements therefor
43 shall be made by the commissioner in consultation with the chancellors
44 of such universities. The commissioner may, in his or her discretion,
45 arrange for a summer school component to be offered at a community
46 college.
47 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to read
48 as follows:
49 § 319. Police officer training corps (POTC). 1. The commissioner, in
50 cooperation with the chancellors of the city university of New York and
51 the state university of New York shall establish a POTC program to be
52 offered at each college of such universities offering undergraduate
53 programs in criminal justice.
54 2. Such POTC program shall be based on the reserve officer training
55 corps (ROTC) of the armed forces of the United States.
A. 1431 3
1 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 355-f to
2 read as follows:
3 § 355-f. Special police officer education and training powers and
4 duties. 1. The state university shall cooperate with the commissioner in
5 establishing and implementing the police training summer school compo-
6 nent provided for in subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred
7 fourteen or subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred fifty-five
8 of this chapter.
9 2. The state university shall cooperate with the commissioner in
10 establishing a police officer training corps (POTC) provided for in
11 section three hundred nineteen of this title.
12 3. In the consideration of applications for admission to undergraduate
13 criminal justice programs, an applicant's graduation from a police
14 training high school or program established pursuant to subdivision four
15 of section twenty-five hundred fourteen or subdivision four of section
16 twenty-five hundred fifty-five of this chapter shall be regarded as a
17 factor weighing in favor of admission.
18 § 5. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6204-b to
19 read as follows:
20 § 6204-b. Special police officer education and training powers and
21 duties. 1. The city university shall cooperate with the commissioner in
22 establishing and implementing the police training summer school compo-
23 nent provided for in subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred
24 fourteen or subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred fifty-five
25 of this chapter.
26 2. The city university shall cooperate with the commissioner in estab-
27 lishing a police officer training corps (POTC) provided for in section
28 three hundred nineteen of this chapter.
29 3. In the consideration of applications for admission to John Jay
30 college of criminal justice or any other undergraduate criminal justice
31 programs, an applicant's graduation from a police training high school
32 established pursuant to subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred
33 fourteen or subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred fifty-five
34 of this chapter shall be regarded as a factor weighing in favor of
35 admission.
36 § 6. Article 4 of the civil service law is amended by adding a new
37 title C to read as follows:
38 TITLE C
39 SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR POLICE RECRUITMENT
40 Section 67. Special provisions for police recruitment.
41 § 67. Special provisions for police recruitment. 1. (a) The provisions
42 of this section shall supersede any inconsistent provisions of this
43 article and shall apply to the recruitment of persons to fill all avail-
44 able positions as police officers, as the term "police officer" is
45 defined by subdivision thirty-four of section 1.20 of the criminal
46 procedure law, in any city with a population of one hundred thousand or
47 more which has adopted a local law which grants additional credits in
48 competitive examinations for original appointment as described in subdi-
49 vision two of this section.
50 (b) For the purposes of this section, the term "graduate" means a
51 person graduated from a police training high school or program estab-
52 lished pursuant to subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred four-
53 teen or subdivision four of section twenty-five hundred fifty-five of
54 the education law.
55 2. Additional credits in competitive examinations for original
56 appointment.
A. 1431 4
1 (a) In any city with a population of one hundred thousand or more
2 which has adopted a local law which grants additional credit in compet-
3 itive nominations for original appointment to graduates as defined in
4 paragraph (b) of subdivision one of this section, on all eligible lists
5 resulting from competitive examinations, the names of eligibles shall be
6 entered in the order of their respective final earned ratings on exam-
7 ination, with the name of the eligible with the highest final earned
8 rating at the head of such list, provided, however, that for the purpose
9 of determining final earned ratings, such graduates shall be entitled to
10 receive five points additional in a competitive examination for original
11 appointment.
12 (b) Such additional credit shall be added to the final earned rating
13 of such graduate after he or she has qualified in the competitive exam-
14 ination and shall be granted only at the time of establishment of the
15 resulting eligible list.
16 3. Application for additional credit; proof of eligibility; establish-
17 ment of eligible list. Any candidate, believing himself or herself enti-
18 tled to additional credit in a competitive examination as provided here-
19 in, may make application for such additional credit at any time between
20 the date of his or her application for examination and the date of the
21 establishment of the resulting eligible list. Such candidates shall be
22 allowed a period of not less than two months from the date of the filing
23 of his or her application for examination in which to establish by
24 appropriate documentary proof his or her eligibility to receive addi-
25 tional credit under this section. At any time after two months have
26 elapsed since the final date for filing applications for a competitive
27 examination for original appointment, the eligible list resulting from
28 such examination may be established, notwithstanding the fact that a
29 graduate who has applied for additional credit has failed to establish
30 his or her eligibility to receive such additional credit. A candidate
31 who fails to establish, by appropriate documentary proof, his or her
32 eligibility to receive additional credit by the time an eligible list is
33 established shall not thereafter be granted additional credit on such
34 eligible list.
35 4. The additional credit granted pursuant to this section shall be in
36 addition to any other additional credit that may be authorized pursuant
37 to any general, special or local law.
38 5. In addition to consideration of competitive examination results,
39 in the recruitment of police officers, additional consideration and
40 weight shall be accorded to graduates as follows:
41 (a) A graduate's status as an applicant with pertinent and specialized
42 training shall be considered as additional evidence of fitness for
43 appointment;
44 (b) A graduate's successful completion of an undergraduate program in
45 criminal justice shall be considered as additional evidence of fitness
46 for appointment; and
47 (c) A graduate's employment by a police department or agency in a
48 civilian or non-sworn capacity shall be considered as additional
49 evidence of fitness for appointment.
50 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.
