The Republican-dominated House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety defeated on Friday a bill that would provide greater job security protections for correctional officers.
Del. Roslyn Tyler’s (D- Greensville, Sussex) bill would include correctional officers in the definition of “law-enforcement officers” under the Law-Enforcement Officers Procedural Guarantee Act. This provision would afford correctional officers the same job security protections as police officers, capitol police, and Port Authority, Department of Motor Vehicles, Marine Resources Commission, Department of Alcohol Beverage Control, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and Department of Conservation and Recreation officers
“Currently, correctional officers in Virginia do not have the same job protections as other law enforcement officers. These officers provide 24 hour security to protect the Commonwealth and put their lives at risk every day,” said Tyler. “This bill would remedy the inequity that exists between correctional officers and other law enforcement officials in Virginia. Unfortunately, House Republicans defeated this common sense measure that would protect these hard working public safety officers.”
Background
Del. Tyler – HB 1459 Law-Enforcement Officers Procedural Guarantee Act; definition of law-enforcement officer.
Bill Summary- Adds certain employees of the Department of Corrections to the definition of “law-enforcement officer” for purposes of the Law-Enforcement Officers Procedural Guarantee Act.
As of November 2012, Virginia had 36 correctional facilities with 29,690 incarcerated offenders and nearly 7,500 correctional officers.
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