AB 1298: Public safety officers: procedural rights.

The Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act requires that certain conditions be met when any public safety officer is under investigation and subjected to interrogation by his or her commanding officer, or any other member of the employing public safety department, that could lead to punitive action. Existing law also governs the admissibility of testimony and evidence in these actions.

This bill would require, when any public safety officer is under investigation and subject to interrogation by his or her commanding officer, or any other member of the employing public safety department, on the allegation of making a false statement, that any administrative finding of the false statement shall require proof based on clear and convincing evidence. The bill would specify that this provision would apply only to allegations of false statements and would not apply to or affect any other allegation or charge against the public safety officer. The bill also would prohibit witness testimony regarding a disciplinary hearing against a public safety officer from being received by telephone or any other electronic means. The bill would specify that this provision would apply only to disciplinary hearings and would not apply to or affect the complaint intake process or any phase of the investigation of the complaint by the concerned agency.

By imposing these new evidentiary procedure requirements upon local government employers, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.