Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Page 2
State Need Not Reimburse Localities for Police Training on Domestic Violence, C.A. Rules
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A state law requiring that all police officers be given two hours of training every two years on how to handle domestic violence cases does not impose an unfunded mandate for which local governments would be entitled to reimbursement, the Court of Appeal for this district ruled yesterday.
Los Angeles County filed a test claim with the Commission on State Mandates, contending that the 1995 law creates a new program or increased level of service, for which the state Constitution requires reimbursement. With 8,200 sworn officers, the Sheriff’s Department would have to divert the equivalent of 10 full-time officers just to teach the courses, the county argued.
The commission rejected the claim, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs granted the county a writ of mandate. Under her ruling, the state would have been required to reimburse all localities for the costs of the training and would have to continue paying for the training or eliminate the requirement in the future.
But the Court of Appeal, in an opinion by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz, sitting on assignment, said the statute does not impose new costs because the localities can offer the two hours in place of other training.
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