(1) Except as provided in Section 49-15-201, a public safety service employee of a participating employer participating in this system is eligible for service credit in this system at the earliest of:

1. (a) July 1, 1969, if the public safety service employee was employed by the participating employer on July 1, 1969, and the participating employer was participating in this system on that date;
2. (b) the date the participating employer begins participating in this system if the public safety service employee was employed by the participating employer on that date; or
3. (c) the date the public safety service employee is employed by the participating employer and is eligible to perform public safety service, except that a public safety service employee initially entering employment with a participating employer on or after July 1, 2011, may not participate in this system.

(2)

1. (a)

   1. (i) A participating employer that has public safety service and firefighter service employees that require cross-training and duty shall enroll those dual purpose employees in the system in which the greatest amount of time is actually worked.
   2. (ii) The employees shall either be full-time public safety service or full-time firefighter service employees of the participating employer.

2. (b)

   1. (i) Prior to transferring a dual purpose employee from one system to another, the participating employer shall receive written permission from the office.
   2. (ii) The office may request documentation to verify the appropriateness of the transfer.

(4)

1. (a)

   1. (i) Each participating employer participating in this system shall annually submit to the office a schedule indicating the positions to be covered under this system in accordance with this chapter.
   2. (ii) The office may require documentation to justify the inclusion of any position under this system.
2. (b) If there is a dispute between the office and a participating employer or employee over any position to be covered, the disputed position shall be submitted to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council established under Section 53-6-106 for determination.

3. (c)

   1. (i) The Peace Officer Standards and Training Councils authority to decide eligibility for public safety service credit is limited to claims for coverage under this system for time periods after July 1, 1989.
   2. (ii) A decision of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council may not be applied to service credit earned in another system prior to July 1, 1989.
   3. (iii) Except as provided under Subsection (4)(c)(iv), a decision of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council granting a position coverage under this system may only be applied prospectively from the date of that decision.

   4. (iv) A decision of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council granting a position coverage under this system may be applied retroactively only if:

      1. (A) the participating employer covered other similarly situated positions under this system during the time period in question; and
      2. (B) the position otherwise meets all eligibility requirements for receiving service credit in this system during the period for which service credit is to be granted.

(9)

1. (a) To determine that a position is covered under this system, the office and, if a coverage dispute arises, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council shall find that the position requires the employee to:

   1. (i) place the employee's life or personal safety at risk; and
   2. (ii) complete training as provided in Section 53-13-103, 53-13-104, or 53-13-105.

2. (b) If a position satisfies the requirements of Subsection (9)(a), the office and the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council shall consider whether or not the position requires the employee to:

   1. (i) perform duties that consist primarily of actively preventing or detecting crime and enforcing criminal statutes or ordinances of this state or any of its political subdivisions;
   2. (ii) perform duties that consist primarily of providing community protection; and
   3. (iii) respond to situations involving threats to public safety and make emergency decisions affecting the lives and health of others.

(13)

1. (a) A public safety service employee employed by an airport police department, which elects to cover its public safety service employees under the Public Safety Noncontributory Retirement System under Subsection (12), may elect to remain in the public safety service employee's current retirement system.

2. (b) The public safety service employee's election to remain in the current retirement system under Subsection (13)(a):

   1. (i) shall be made at the time the employer elects to move its public safety service employees to a public safety retirement system;
   2. (ii) documented by written notice to the participating employer; and
   3. (iii) is irrevocable.