House File 539 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 539 BY GEARHART A BILL FOR An Act relating to the law enforcement academy, including 1 military veterans with active duty military police 2 experience. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2228HH (2) 91 as/js

H.F. 539 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 80B.20 Military veterans with 1 active duty military police experience. 2 1. A veteran may qualify for lateral transfer to a law 3 enforcement agency in this state without completing the academy 4 training program if the veteran meets the following criteria: 5 a. Has served a minimum of four years of active duty in the 6 United States armed forces. 7 b. Has held a primary military occupational specialty or 8 equivalent designation as a military police officer in the 9 army, or its equivalent in other branches. 10 c. Has successfully completed accredited military police 11 training equivalent to or exceeding the academy’s standards. 12 d. Has received an honorable discharge or a general 13 discharge under honorable conditions. 14 2. An eligible veteran shall submit an application to the 15 council for evaluation. The application shall include all of 16 the following: 17 a. Proof of military service and discharge status. 18 b. Certification of military police training and experience. 19 c. Documentation of relevant duties performed during active 20 duty. 21 3. The council shall review the applications and issue a 22 certificate of equivalency to veterans who meet the eligibility 23 criteria. 24 4. Veterans granted a certificate of equivalency must do all 25 of the following: 26 a. Complete a one-week Iowa-specific law enforcement 27 orientation course administered by the academy, focusing on 28 state laws, procedures, and community policing. 29 b. Undergo any required background checks and psychological 30 evaluations as required for all new law enforcement hires in 31 the state. 32 5. The council shall develop procedures and guidelines for 33 evaluating military police training and equivalency standards. 34 6. The council shall publish an annual report including 35 -1- LSB 2228HH (2) 91 as/js 1/ 3

H.F. 539 data on the number of veterans transitioning to state law 1 enforcement and the veterans’ performance in law enforcement 2 roles. 3 EXPLANATION 4 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 5 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 6 This bill relates to the law enforcement academy, including 7 military veterans with active duty military police experience. 8 The bill provides that a veteran may qualify for lateral 9 transfer to a law enforcement agency in this state without 10 completing the academy training program if the veteran meets 11 the following criteria: has served a minimum of four years 12 of active duty in the United States armed forces; has held 13 a primary military occupational specialty or equivalent 14 designation as a military police officer in the army, or its 15 equivalent in other branches; has successfully completed 16 accredited military police training equivalent to or exceeding 17 the academy’s standards; and has received an honorable 18 discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. 19 The bill provides that an eligible veteran is required 20 to submit an application to the council for evaluation that 21 includes all of the following: proof of military service and 22 discharge status; certification of military police training 23 and experience; and documentation of relevant duties performed 24 during active duty. The council shall review the applications 25 and issue a certificate of equivalency to veterans who meet 26 the eligibility criteria. Veterans granted a certificate 27 of equivalency must complete a one-week Iowa-specific law 28 enforcement orientation course administered by the academy, 29 focusing on state laws, procedures, and community policing, 30 and undergo any required background checks and psychological 31 evaluations as required for all new law enforcement hires in 32 the state. 33 The bill directs the council to develop procedures and 34 guidelines for evaluating military police training and 35 -2- LSB 2228HH (2) 91 as/js 2/ 3

H.F. 539 equivalency standards, and to publish an annual report 1 including data on the number of veterans transitioning to 2 state law enforcement and the veterans’ performance in law 3 enforcement roles. 4 -3- LSB 2228HH (2) 91 as/js 3/ 3