CHAPTER 1

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 1. Statutory Authority. The Wyoming Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Commission, pursuant to W.S.9-1-701, et seq. is required to adopt rules and standards which shall be in accordance with provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act (W.S.16-3-101 to 16-3-115).

Section 2. Purpose. The purpose of the Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Commission is to raise and maintain the level of competence within the law enforcement community by:

1. (a) Establishing minimum standards for employment and retention of peace officer personnel;
2. (b) Establishing minimum standards for the training and education of peace officer personnel;
3. (c) Promoting the planning and development of a systematic career development program for peace officer professionals by providing and encouraging advanced or specialized training, education, and certification;
4. (d) Planning and promoting the development and improvement of a comprehensive program of education and training in the administration of criminal justice;
5. (e) Conducting and stimulating research and planning, by public and private agencies, designed to improve education and training in the administration of criminal justice.
6. (f) Review and evaluate the recruitment, selection, education and training of peace officer personnel and recommending improvements; and
7. (g) Maintaining liaison among local, state, and federal agencies with respect to peace officer education and training.

Section 3. Definitions.

1. (a) “Accredited college” means a junior college, college or university accredited as such by the Department of Education of the state in which the junior college, college or university is located, a recognized national accrediting body, the state university in the state in which the junior college or university is located, or the Commission;
2. (b) “Commission” means the Wyoming Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Commission, or employees thereof on its behalf;
3. (c) “Detention officer” means a person who is employed by a county or municipality on a full-time basis to care for, supervise and control persons detained in a jail or holding facility;
4. (d) “Detention officer training” means an approved school or local detention officer training program authorized by the commission to train detention officers;
5. (e) “Department” shall mean a police department, sheriff’s department, highway patrol, state division of criminal investigation, game and fish department, campus police or capitol security;
6. (f) “Director” means the executive director of the Commission;
7. (g) “Inactive peace officer” means a peace officer who has been certified by the State of Wyoming but is no longer employed by a municipal, county or political subdivision.
8. (h) “Law enforcement unit” means a public agency having police power and charged with enforcing state criminal statutes or municipal ordinances;
9. (i) “Peace officer” means a person as defined by W.S. 7-2-101;
10. (j) “Peace officer training” means an approved school or local peace officer training program authorized by the Commission to train peace officers;
11. (k) “Permanent appointment” shall mean an appointment having permanent status as a peace officer in a law enforcement agency as described in these rules;
12. (l) “Part-time or reserve peace officer” means any person having peace officer authority acting less than full time in the service of any county, municipality or state agency, whether compensated or not;
13. (m) “School” shall mean any school, college, university, academy, or local training program which offers law enforcement training. This term includes within its meaning a combination of courses, curriculum, instructors and facilities.
14. (n) “Temporary appointment” shall mean an appointment as a peace officer in a position which has a time limitation placed upon it or is not of a continuing nature;
15. (o) “Dispatcher” means a person who is employed by a state, county or municipal law en- forcement agency, fire service or licensed ambulance service on a full or part-time basis, to answer and dispatch calls for emergency and nonemergency situations via designated law enforcement and emer- gency telecommunications equipment.
16. (p) “The Act” means W.S.9-1-701 et seq.