Existing law authorizes the board of county commissioners of any county and the governing body of any city or cities located in the county to merge their respective law enforcement agencies into one metropolitan police department and provides that upon merger, the law enforcement agencies of each participating political subdivision, which are designated in the merger, are deemed superseded as long as the ordinance providing for the merger remains in effect. (NRS 280.110, 280.120) Existing law provides that such a merger does not prohibit a participating political subdivision from establishing and administering certain units of specialized law enforcement, including a unit consisting of park rangers and a unit consisting of marshals. Existing law further provides that the jurisdiction and authority of any such unit is concurrent with the authority and jurisdiction of the metropolitan police department but that the authority and jurisdiction of a unit consisting of marshals or park rangers is limited to certain circumstances. (NRS 280.125) Section 2 of this bill includes, with certain exceptions, in the list of such circumstances, the enforcement of state laws and city and county ordinances within the authority and jurisdiction of the metropolitan police department if the park ranger or marshal reasonably believes that an immediate response is necessary to protect the physical safety of a person or others from an immediate threat of physical injury or to protect against an immediate threat of severe property damage. Section 2 further requires a park ranger or marshal who takes such actions to: (1) immediately notify the primary law enforcement agency that he or she is responding to the threat; and (2) unless otherwise directed by the primary law enforcement agency or an interlocal agreement, investigate and take any enforcement action necessary to protect the physical safety of a person or others from an immediate threat of physical injury or to protect against an immediate threat of severe property damage. Section 2 additionally provides that such a merger does not prohibit a participating political subdivision from establishing and administering a unit consisting of officers of the participating political subdivision which are employed by a department or division established by the participating political subdivision to provide public safety services and similarly limits, with certain exceptions, the authority and jurisdiction of such a unit to that of a unit of park rangers or marshals. Sections 3-7 and 10 of this bill make conforming changes to: (1) reflect that the duties of such an officer under such circumstances are coextensive with the duties of such a park ranger or marshal; and (2) make such an officer subject to certain similar requirements as such a park ranger or marshal. Section 11 of this bill provides that such an officer is a “police officer” for purposes of certain provisions relating to occupational diseases. Section 1: (1) requires, in a county whose population is 700,000 or more (currently only Clark County), a unit consisting of such officers to provide, under certain circumstances, assistance to another law enforcement agency that requests such assistance; (2) provides that the unit is deemed to have the authority and jurisdiction of the law enforcement agency for the purpose of assisting the law enforcement agency; (3) requires an officer of such a unit to provide certain notifications to the law enforcement agency when responding to such a request; and (4) authorizes the officer to investigate and take any necessary enforcement action within the scope of the request for assistance unless otherwise directed by the requesting law enforcement agency. Existing law sets forth provisions governing peace officers and provides that certain persons have the powers of or may exercise the powers of a peace officer. (Chapter 289 of NRS) Section 8 of this bill provides that officers who are employed by a department or division established by a participating political subdivision to provide public services in accordance with the provisions of section 2 have the powers of a peace officer subject to the provisions of sections 1 and 2. Existing law requires a law enforcement agency to require uniformed peace officers that it employs who routinely interact with the public to wear a portable event recording device while on duty and requires each law enforcement agency to adopt policies and procedures governing the use of portable event recording devices. (NRS 289.830) Section 9 of this bill provides that the term “law enforcement agency” includes for such purposes, in a county whose population is 700,000 or more and in which a metropolitan police department has been organized, the department or division established by the participating political subdivision to provide public safety services.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 280.125, 5.060, 171.1223, 171.1455, 171.17751, 193.309, 289.830, 487.230, 617.135
BDR: 280.125, 5.060, 171.1223, 171.1455, 171.17751, 193.309, 289.830, 487.230, 617.135