HJ47: Law-enforcement officers; Dept. of Human Resource Mgmt. to study retainment
WHEREAS, the law-enforcement mission is to serve and to protect; and
WHEREAS, every day, law-enforcement officers are faced with life and death situations, which require great skill and training to successfully resolve; and
WHEREAS, because of the proliferation of gang activity, drug-related crime, and domestic violence, the importance of recruiting and retaining professional law-enforcement officers cannot be understated; and
WHEREAS, in order to recruit and retain the caliber of law-enforcement officer necessary to meet the challenges in an ever-changing world, compensation paid to law-enforcement officers must be commensurate with the risks involved and ensure an appropriate standard of living; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Human Resource Management be requested to study whether the compensation paid with state funds to law-enforcement officers is adequate to recruit and retain qualified officers. In conducting its study, the Department of Human Resource Management shall examine the salaries and benefits provided to the State Police, game wardens, marine police, and sheriff's deputies and recommend any necessary adjustments.
Technical assistance shall be provided to the Department of Human Resource Management by the Department of State Police. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Human Resource Management for this study, upon request.
The Department of Human Resource Management shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2006, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2007 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
