Rep. William Konopnicki

H2232 will create reserve Capitol Police force
What the new law does: Allows the Arizona Department of Administration to create a Capitol Police Reserve staffed by volunteers who have purchased their own equipment and been licensed to serve.
Licensed civilians and retired peace officers may soon be able to volunteer as members of a new Capitol Police Reserve that being considered by the Arizona Department of Administration.
The groundwork for the reserve force was laid by H2232 (Chapter 131), a bill that passed 30-0 in the Senate and 56-4 in the House before being signed into law by Governor Napolitano on April 17.
“When I have a chance to do something that doesn’t cost the state any money but helps our state employees, it makes me feel pretty good,” said Rep. William Konopnicki, R-5, the bill’s sponsor.
Mr. Konopnicki said the state won’t use any of its funds to establish the force and that worker’s compensation for on-duty reservists is the only expenditure covered by the law.
“The volunteers will buy all their own uniforms, their leather and their weapons, and they will have a different patch on their uniforms, so people will know that they’re reservists, not regular uniformed officers,” he added.
He said he began work on H2232 last winter when Chief Wendell Grasee (now retired) of the Capitol Police told him the department needed more officers and could benefit from a voluntary reserve force.
“There is some status to being a reserve officer anywhere, but especially at the capitol,” Mr. Konopnicki added.
“The Capitol Police have had people waiting to volunteer.”
The Capitol Police patrol the area from 19th Avenue to 7th Avenue and from Van Buren Street to Madison Street, performing the same duties as DPS officers and securing capitol buildings.
“If someone wasn’t sure if they wanted to be a Capitol Police officer, they could serve as a reserve and see how they like it before diving in head first,” said Alan Ecker, public information officer for the Department of Administration.
“The bill also gives management the opportunity to evaluate a potential fulltime officer.”
Mr. Ecker added that the reserve force is still in its planning stages and won’t be implemented until scheduling and staffing issues are worked out between ADOA director William Bell and the new chief of the Capitol Police, Thomas Lane.
— By Daniel Raven, Arizona Capitol Times correspondent