California Assembly Bill AB739 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 739AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 15, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Salas FEBRUARY 21, 2013 An act to  amend Section 830.35 of the Penal Code, relating to peace officers.   add Section 27513 to the Government Code, relating to local officers.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 739, as amended, Salas.  Peace officers: deputy coroners.   Coroners.  Existing law generally sets forth the duties of a coroner. Existing law specifically requires a coroner to hold an inquest under certain circumstances and authorizes a coroner holding an inquest to, among other things, issue subpoenas.   This bill would, for purposes relating to the duty of a coroner to hold an inquest, provide that a coroner's appointed deputy or authorized deputy shall include a deputy coroner or part-time or volunteer personnel of the coroner's office, as specified.   Existing law prescribes the powers and authority of peace officers, and provides that, among other peace officers, a coroner and deputy coroners, who are regularly employed and paid in that capacity, are peace officers if their primary duties are within certain specified duties pertaining to inquests, as specified. Existing law establishes the extent of the authority of these peace officers, and provides that those peace officers may carry firearms only if authorized and under terms and conditions specified by their employing agency.   This bill would include within the definition of peace officer describing coroner and deputy coroner, part-time and volunteer personnel who perform the duties of a deputy coroner, as specified, if those part-time and volunteer personnel meet the same background, training, and certification requirements established by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for regularly employed deputy coroners.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 27513 is added to the   Government Code   , to read:   27513. For purposes of this article only, a coroner's appointed deputy or authorized deputy shall include the following: (a) Any deputy coroner who is regularly employed and paid in that capacity. (b) Any part-time or volunteer personnel of the coroner's office who meets the same background, training, and certification requirements established by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for regularly employed deputy coroners.   SECTION 1.   Section 830.35 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 830.35. The following persons are peace officers whose authority extends to any place in the state for the purpose of performing their primary duty or when making an arrest pursuant to Section 836 as to any public offense with respect to which there is immediate danger to person or property, or of the escape of the perpetrator of that offense, or pursuant to Section 8597 or 8598 of the Government Code. Those peace officers may carry firearms only if authorized and under terms and conditions specified by their employing agency. (a) A welfare fraud investigator or inspector, regularly employed and paid in that capacity by a county, if the primary duty of the peace officer is the enforcement of the provisions of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (b) A child support investigator or inspector, regularly employed and paid in that capacity by a district attorney's office, if the primary duty of the peace officer is the enforcement of the provisions of the Family Code and Section 270. (c) The coroner and deputy coroners, regularly employed and paid in that capacity, of a county, if the primary duty of the peace officer are those duties set forth in Sections 27469 and 27491 to 27491.4, inclusive, of the Government Code, and any part-time or volunteer personnel performing those duties of a deputy coroner, if those part-time and volunteer personnel meet the same background, training, and certification requirements established by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for regularly employed deputy coroners.