Pennsylvania HR 60: A Resolution directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study of the salaries and training of police officers in this Commonwealth.

Bill Text

2019-2020 Regular Session HR 60 PN 0278 Bill Text (HTM) 

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PRINTER'S NO. 278 

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION 

No.

60 

Session of 

2019 

INTRODUCED BY A. DAVIS, STURLA, RABB, MILLARD, HILL-EVANS, MURT, 

SCHLOSSBERG, DeLUCA, NEILSON, DEASY AND McCLINTON, 

FEBRUARY 1, 2019 

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 1, 2019 

A RESOLUTION

Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to 

conduct a study of the salaries and training of police 

officers in this Commonwealth.

WHEREAS, According to a United States Bureau of Justice 

Statistics 2008 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement 

Agencies, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has more than 1,100 

police forces and employs more than 27,000 officers; and

WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has the second-highest number of 

individual police forces in the country and twice as many as the 

national average; and

WHEREAS, A 2013 Legislative Budget and Finance Committee 

report found that municipalities in this Commonwealth spend 

approximately $1.3 billion dollars a year on police services, 

including spending on 986 municipal police departments and 34 

regional police departments representing 102 municipalities; and

WHEREAS, This same report found that more than half of 

Pennsylvania's 2,500 municipalities have no police department 

and of those 72% have 10 or fewer officers, and of those more 

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than half have five or fewer full-time officers; and

WHEREAS, Municipalities have cited cost as the most 

significant reason for not forming a police department and loss 

of control as the reason for not forming regional departments; 

and

WHEREAS, Part-time police officers and officers in small 

departments may receive lower salaries and less training and 

therefore must balance multiple jobs and face safety issues and 

high turnover rates; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the 

Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study of 

the salaries of law enforcement officers across this 

Commonwealth, including any disparities between departments, and 

highlight the salary differences between part-time and full-time 

officers of police departments; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee 

identify the training levels of different departments, comparing 

the average time full-time and part-time forces take to complete 

the minimum training and what training is offered to officers 

beyond minimum training; and be it further

RESOLVED, That as legislative initiatives have proposed 

specialized training on specific issues such as interacting with 

persons suffering from mental health issues, use of force, 

school safety and domestic violence, the Legislative Budget and 

Finance Committee shall study the status of training across 

police departments on these and other specialized issues beyond 

the basic training required by statute; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee 

assess the rates of turnover of police officers and the factors 

contributing most to these rates with emphasis on demographic 

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information of the police officers, including race and gender 

and whether or not they reflect the communities they serve, 

whether salaries are insufficient and the presence or lack of 

sufficient training and equipment, including whether the 

department is using officer safety measures such as body 

cameras; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee 

shall make recommendations for addressing disparities in 

salaries and training between departments as well as specific 

measures to eliminate discrepancies in standards between 

departments with the goal of achieving higher quality services 

and greater equity Statewide; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee 

report its findings to the General Assembly within 180 days of 

the adoption of this resolution.

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