Commission declines action on two training-record decertification matters, cites limited jurisdiction

Legal counsel told the commission the panel may not have clear rule authority to decertify officers based solely on the training-record issues presented in two matters.

At the hearing staff and counsel said the issues stemmed from inaccurate or incomplete training records and that the state association had implemented new systems intended to prevent recurrence. Counsel advised the panel that the commission’s rules may not clearly provide a path for decertification on those particular factual bases.

Commissioner Wright moved to take no action on the two training-record-related decertification matters (named earlier on the agenda); the motion was seconded by Richard Wilbur. The chair called a voice vote, announced the motion carried and recorded one abstention.

The chair emphasized the importance of accurate training records for maintaining law-enforcement salary supplements and urged departments to keep precise records. The commission noted the association had taken steps to improve record keeping to avoid similar issues in the future.

The commission also addressed two matters whose representatives were present but whose cases were reset or defaulted; staff said they would reschedule or confirm certification as appropriate.