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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7036 - Private Police Protection to the Public0 RESOLUTION N0, 7 0 3 6 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH REQUESTING THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES TO SPONSOR LEGISLATION WHICH WOULD AUTHORIZE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO REGULATE THE BUSINESS OF FURNISHING PRIVATE POLICE PROTECTION TO THE PUBLIC WHEREAS, in recent years there has been a substantial increase in the number and size of private law enforcement agencies which perform such functions as furnishing security guards and watchmen to protect banks, stores and industrial plants, patrolling the streets to protect homes and businesses, providing patrolmen for special events, and supplying bodyguards; and WHEREAS, the Private Investigator and Adjuster Act (Chapter 11, Division 3 of the California Business and Professions Code) contains state regulations applicable to private investi- gators, operators of private police patrol services, insurance adjusters and repossessors; and WHEREAS, Business and Professions Code Section 7523, which is a part of the Private Investigator and Adjuster Act, authorizes cities and counties to impose local regulations "upon any person who furnishes street patrol service or street patrol special officer "; and WHEREAS, in view of the narrow grant of regulatory authority to local government as set forth in said Section 7523 there is uncertainty as to whether the state has preempted the field of regulating private police activities other than furnishing street p #trol service; and WHEREAS, existing state regulations are seriously deficient in that they do not establish standards for or require registration of the employees of state licensed private patrol operators, and completely exempt from regulation persons working as investigators or guards who are employed exclusively.and regularly by one employer; and Is WHEREAS, private patrol officers occupy positions of trust and operate with an appearance of official authority without there being adequate standards for evaluating their moral character and emotional stability; and WHEREAS, regularly constituted law enforcement personnel, under the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission Act, are carefully selected and receive intensive training in law and the social sciences; and WHEREAS, a significant portion of police training is spent in learning how and under what circumstances to use fire- arms, while private policemen are not required to have any training as a prerequisite to their use of such weapons; and WHEREAS, it is essential for the protection of the public that employees of private police agencies who carry firearms and engage in law enforcement activities be subject to local regulation and licensing in order to insure that such personnel are properly qualified in terms of intelligence, moral character, competence and emotional stability; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Newport Beach that the League of California Cities is urged to sponsor legislation which would amend Section 7521 of the Business and Professions Code of the State of California to authorize cities and counties to enact reasonable regulations applicable to all private police agencies and to license their employees. ADOPTED this 28th day of July, 1969. 160m�L'nQm Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk d (/ C LED AS THE NAL CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF T BEACH °2' THS °mh 7/18/69