REFERENCE TITLE: public safety employees; records; assault

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-fifth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2022

 

 

 

SCR 1015

 

Introduced by

Senator Rogers

 

 

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 

enacting and ordering the submission to the people of a measure relating to public safety employees.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 


Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring:

1. Under the power of the referendum, as vested in the Legislature, the following measure, relating to public safety employees, is enacted to become valid as a law if approved by the voters and on proclamation of the Governor:

AN ACT

AMENDING SECTIONS 13-1204, 13-2401, 16-153 AND 28-454, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES; RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEES.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 13-1204, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE13-1204. Aggravated assault; classification; definitions

A. A person commits aggravated assault if the person commits assault as prescribed by section 13-1203 under any of the following circumstances:

1. If the person causes serious physical injury to another.

2. If the person uses a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.

3. If the person commits the assault by any means of force that causes temporary but substantial disfigurement, temporary but substantial loss or impairment of any body organ or part or a fracture of any body part.

4. If the person commits the assault while the victim is bound or otherwise physically restrained or while the victim's capacity to resist is substantially impaired.

5. If the person commits the assault after entering the private home of another with the intent to commit the assault.

6. If the person is eighteen years of age or older and commits the assault on a minor under fifteen years of age.

7. If the person commits assault as prescribed by section 13-1203, subsection A, paragraph 1 or 3 and the person is in violation of an order of protection issued against the person pursuant to section 13-3602 or 13-3624.

8. If the person commits the assault knowing or having reason to know that the victim is any of the following:

(a) A peace officer or a person summoned and directed by the officer.

(b) A constable or a person summoned and directed by the constable while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the constable's official duties.

(c) A firefighter, fire investigator, fire inspector, emergency medical technician or paramedic engaged in the execution of any official duties or a person summoned and directed by such individual while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the official duties of the firefighter, fire investigator, fire inspector, emergency medical technician or paramedic.

(d) A teacher or other person employed by any school and the teacher or other employee is on the grounds of a school or grounds adjacent to the school or is in any part of a building or vehicle used for school purposes, any teacher or school nurse visiting a private home in the course of the teacher's or nurse's professional duties or any teacher engaged in any authorized and organized classroom activity held on other than school grounds.

(e) A health care practitioner who is certified or licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13, 15, 17 or 25, or a person summoned and directed by the licensed health care practitioner while engaged in the person's professional duties. This subdivision does not apply if the person who commits the assault is seriously mentally ill, as defined in section 36-550, or is afflicted with alzheimer's disease or related dementia.

(f) A prosecutor while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the prosecutor's official duties.

(g) A code enforcement officer as defined in section 39-123 while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the code enforcement officer's official duties.

(h) A state or municipal park ranger while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the park ranger's official duties.

(i) A public defender while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the public defender's official duties.

(j) A judicial officer while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the judicial officer's official duties.

(k) A member of the national guard while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the national guard member's official duties.

(l) A border patrol agent while engaged in the execution of any official duties or if the assault results from the execution of the border patrol agent's official duties.

9. If the person knowingly takes or attempts to exercise control over any of the following:

(a) A peace officer's or other officer's firearm and the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or other officer employed by one of the agencies listed in paragraph 10, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) of this subsection.

(b) Any weapon other than a firearm that is being used by a peace officer or other officer or that the officer is attempting to use, and the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or other officer employed by one of the agencies listed in paragraph 10, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) of this subsection.

(c) Any implement that is being used by a peace officer or other officer or that the officer is attempting to use, and the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or other officer employed by one of the agencies listed in paragraph 10, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) of this subsection. For the purposes of this subdivision, "implement" means an object that is designed for or that is capable of restraining or injuring an individual. Implement does not include handcuffs.

10. If the person meets both of the following conditions:

(a) Is imprisoned or otherwise subject to the custody of any of the following:

(i) The state department of corrections.

(ii) The department of juvenile corrections.

(iii) A law enforcement agency.

(iv) A county or city jail or an adult or juvenile detention facility of a city or county.

(v) Any other entity that is contracting with the state department of corrections, the department of juvenile corrections, a law enforcement agency, another state, any private correctional facility, a county, a city or the federal bureau of prisons or other federal agency that has responsibility for sentenced or unsentenced prisoners.

(b) Commits an assault knowing or having reason to know that the victim is acting in an official capacity as an employee of any of the entities listed in subdivision (a) of this paragraph.

11. If the person uses a simulated deadly weapon.

B. A person commits aggravated assault if the person commits assault by either intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing any physical injury to another person, intentionally placing another person in reasonable apprehension of imminent physical injury or knowingly touching another person with the intent to injure the person, and both of the following occur:

1. The person intentionally or knowingly impedes the normal breathing or circulation of blood of another person by applying pressure to the throat or neck or by obstructing the nose and mouth either manually or through the use of an instrument.

2. Any of the circumstances exists that are set forth in section 13-3601, subsection A, paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.

C. A person who is convicted of intentionally or knowingly committing aggravated assault on a peace officer pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than the presumptive sentence authorized under chapter 7 of this title and is not eligible for suspension of sentence, commutation or release on any basis until the sentence imposed is served.

D. It is not a defense to a prosecution for assaulting a peace officer or a mitigating circumstance that the peace officer was not on duty or engaged in the execution of any official duties.

E. Except pursuant to subsections F and G of this section, aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2, paragraph 9, subdivision (a) or paragraph 11 of this section is a class 3 felony except if the aggravated assault is a violation of subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section and the victim is under fifteen years of age it is a class 2 felony punishable pursuant to section 13-705. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3, paragraph 8, subdivision (c), (k) or (l) or paragraph 10 or subsection B of this section is a class 4 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 9, subdivision (b) or paragraph 10 of this section is a class 5 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 4, 5, 6 or 7, or paragraph 8, subdivision (b), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i) or (j) or paragraph 9, subdivision (c) of this section is a class 6 felony.

F. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section committed on a peace officer is a class 2 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section committed on a peace officer is a class 3 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 8, subdivision (a) of this section committed on a peace officer is a class 5 felony unless the assault results in any physical injury to the peace officer, in which case it is a class 4 felony.

G. Aggravated assault pursuant to:

1. Subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section is a class 2 felony if committed on a prosecutor.

2. Subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section is a class 3 felony if committed on a prosecutor.

3. Subsection A, paragraph 8, subdivision (f) of this section is a class 5 felony if the assault results in physical injury to a prosecutor.

H. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Judicial officer" means a justice of the supreme court, judge, justice of the peace or magistrate or a commissioner or hearing officer of a state, county or municipal court.

2. "Prosecutor" means a county attorney, a municipal prosecutor or the attorney general and includes an assistant or deputy county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general.

Sec. 2. Section 13-2401, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE13-2401. Personal information on the internet; exception; classification; definitions

A. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly make available on the world wide web internet the personal information of a firefighter, emergency medical technician, national guard member, border patrol agent, peace officer, justice, judge, commissioner, hearing officer, public defender, member of the commission on appellate court appointments, employee of the department of child safety or employee of adult protective services who has direct contact with families in the course of employment or prosecutor if the dissemination of the personal information poses an imminent and serious threat to the firefighter's, emergency medical technician's, national guard member's, border patrol agent's, peace officer's, justice's, judge's, commissioner's, hearing officer's, public defender's, member's, department of child safety employee's, adult protective services employee's or prosecutor's safety or the safety of that person's immediate family and the threat is reasonably apparent to the person making the information available on the internet to be serious and imminent.

B. It is not a violation of this section if an employee of a county recorder, county treasurer or county assessor publishes personal information, in good faith, on the website of the county recorder, county treasurer or county assessor in the ordinary course of carrying out public functions.

C. A violation of subsection A of this section is a class 5 felony.

D. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Commissioner" means a commissioner of the superior court or municipal court.

2. "Hearing officer" means a hearing officer who is appointed pursuant to section 28-1553.

3. "Immediate family" means a firefighter's, emergency medical technician's, national guard member's, border patrol agent's, peace officer's, justice's, judge's, commissioner's, public defender's or prosecutor's spouse, child or parent and any other adult who lives in the same residence as the person.

4. "Judge" means a judge of the United States district court, the United States court of appeals, the United States magistrate court, the United States bankruptcy court, the Arizona court of appeals, the superior court or a municipal court.

5. "Justice" means a justice of the United States or Arizona supreme court or a justice of the peace.

6. "Personal information" means a firefighter's, emergency medical technician's, national guard member's, border patrol agent's, peace officer's, justice's, judge's, commissioner's, hearing officer's, public defender's, commission on appellate court appointments member's or prosecutor's home address, home telephone number, pager number, personal photograph, directions to the person's home or photographs of the person's home or vehicle.

7. "Prosecutor" means a current or former county attorney, municipal prosecutor, attorney general or United States attorney and includes a current or former assistant or deputy United States attorney, county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general.

8. "Public defender" means a federal public defender, county public defender, county legal defender or county contract indigent defense counsel and includes an assistant or deputy federal public defender, county public defender or county legal defender. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 16-153, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-153. Voter registration; confidentiality; definitions

A. Eligible persons, and any other registered voter who resides at the same residence address as the eligible person, may request that the general public be prohibited from accessing the eligible person's identifying information, including any of that person's documents and voting precinct number contained in that person's voter registration record.

B. Eligible persons may request this action by filing an affidavit that states all of the following on an application form developed by the administrative office of the courts in agreement with an association of counties and an organization of peace officers:

1. The person's full legal name, residential address and date of birth.

2. Unless the person is the spouse of a peace officer or the spouse or minor child of a deceased peace officer or the person is a former public official or former judge, the position the person currently holds and a description of the person's duties, except that an eligible person who is protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment shall instead attach a copy of the order of protection or injunction against harassment.

3. The reasons for reasonably believing that the person's life or safety or that of another person is in danger and that sealing the identifying information and voting precinct number of the person's voting record will serve to reduce the danger.

C. The affidavit shall be filed with the presiding judge of the superior court in the county in which the affiant resides. To prevent multiple filings, an eligible person who is a peace officer, prosecutor, public defender, code enforcement officer, corrections or detention officer, corrections support staff member or law enforcement support staff member shall deliver the affidavit to the peace officer's commanding officer, or to the head of the prosecuting, public defender, code enforcement, law enforcement, corrections or detention agency, as applicable, or that person's designee, who shall file the affidavits at one time. In the absence of an affidavit that contains a request for immediate action and is supported by facts justifying an earlier presentation, the commanding officer, or the head of the prosecuting, public defender, code enforcement, law enforcement, corrections or detention agency, as applicable, or that person's designee, shall not file affidavits more often than quarterly.

D. On receipt of an affidavit or affidavits, the presiding judge of the superior court shall file with the clerk of the superior court a petition on behalf of all requesting affiants. The petition shall have attached each affidavit presented. In the absence of an affidavit that contains a request for immediate action and that is supported by facts justifying an earlier consideration, the presiding judge may accumulate affidavits and file a petition at the end of each quarter.

E. The presiding judge of the superior court shall review the petition and each attached affidavit to determine whether the action requested by each affiant should be granted. The presiding judge of the superior court shall order the sealing for five years of the information contained in the voter record of the affiant and, on request, any other registered voter who resides at the same residence address if the presiding judge concludes that this action will reduce a danger to the life or safety of the affiant.

F. The recorder shall remove the restrictions on all voter records submitted pursuant to subsection E of this section by January 5 in the year after the court order expires. The county recorder shall send by mail one notice to either the former public official, peace officer, spouse of a peace officer, spouse or minor child of a deceased peace officer, public defender, prosecutor, code enforcement officer, corrections or detention officer, corrections support staff member, law enforcement support staff member, employee of the department of child safety or employee of adult protective services who has direct contact with families in the course of employment or the employing agency of a peace officer, public defender, prosecutor, code enforcement officer, corrections or detention officer, corrections support staff member or law enforcement support staff member who was granted an order pursuant to this section of the order's expiration date at least six months before the expiration date. If the notice is sent to the employing agency, the employing agency shall immediately notify the person who was granted the order of the upcoming expiration date. The county recorder may coordinate with the county assessor and county treasurer to prevent multiple notices from being sent to the same person.

G. On entry of the court order, the clerk of the superior court shall file the court order with the county recorder.  On receipt of the court order the county recorder shall seal the voter registration of the persons listed in the court order no later than one hundred twenty days from the date of receipt of the court order. To include a subsequent voter registration in the court order, a person listed in the court order shall present to the county recorder at the time of registration a certified copy of the court order or shall provide the county recorder the recording number of the court order. The information in the registration shall not be disclosed and is not a public record.

H. If the court denies an affiant's requested sealing of the voter registration record, the affiant may request a court hearing. The hearing shall be conducted by the court where the petition was filed.

I. On motion to the court, if the presiding judge of the superior court concludes that a voter registration record has been sealed in error or that the cause for the original affidavit no longer exists, the presiding judge may vacate the court order prohibiting public access to the voter registration record.

J. On request by a person who is protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment and presentation of an order of protection issued pursuant to section 13-3602, an injunction against harassment issued pursuant to section 12-1809 or an order of protection or injunction against harassment issued by a court in another state or a program participant in the address confidentiality program pursuant to title 41, chapter 1, article 3, the county recorder shall seal the voter registration record of the person who is protected and, on request, any other registered voter who resides at the residence address of the protected person.  The record shall be sealed no later than one hundred twenty days from the date of receipt of the court order.  The information in the registration shall not be disclosed and is not a public record.

K. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Code enforcement officer" means a person who is employed by a state or local government and whose duties include performing field inspections of buildings, structures or property to ensure compliance with and enforce national, state and local laws, ordinances and codes.

2. "Commissioner" means a commissioner of the superior court or municipal court.

3. "Corrections support staff member" means an adult or juvenile corrections employee who has direct contact with inmates.

4. "Eligible person" means a former public official, peace officer, spouse of a peace officer, spouse or minor child of a deceased peace officer, justice, judge, commissioner, hearing officer, public defender, prosecutor, member of the commission on appellate court appointments, code enforcement officer, adult or juvenile corrections officer, corrections support staff member, probation officer, member of the board of executive clemency, law enforcement support staff member, employee of the department of child safety or employee of adult protective services who has direct contact with families in the course of employment, national guard member or border patrol agent who is acting in support of a law enforcement agency, person who is protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment or firefighter or emergency medical technician who is assigned to the Arizona counter terrorism information center in the department of public safety.

5. "Former public official" means a person who was duly elected or appointed to Congress, the legislature or a statewide office, who ceased serving in that capacity and who was the victim of a dangerous offense as defined in section 13-105 while in office.

6. "Hearing officer" means a hearing officer who is appointed pursuant to section 28-1553.

7. "Judge" means a judge or former judge of the United States district court, the United States court of appeals, the United States magistrate court, the United States bankruptcy court, the United States immigration court, the Arizona court of appeals, the superior court or a municipal court.

8. "Justice" means a justice of the United States or Arizona supreme court or a justice of the peace.

9. "Law enforcement support staff member" means a person who serves in the role of an investigator or prosecutorial assistant in an agency that investigates or prosecutes crimes, who is integral to the investigation or prosecution of crimes and whose name or identity will be revealed in the course of public proceedings.

10. "Peace officer":

(a) Has the same meaning prescribed in section 1-215.

(b) Includes a federal law enforcement officer or agent who resides in this state and who has the power to make arrests pursuant to federal law.

11. "Prosecutor" means a current or former United States attorney, county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general and includes a current or former assistant or deputy United States attorney, county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general.

12. "Public defender" means a federal public defender, county public defender, county legal defender or county contract indigent defense counsel and includes an assistant or deputy federal public defender, county public defender or county legal defender. END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Section 28-454, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE28-454. Records maintained by department of transportation; redaction; definitions

A. Notwithstanding sections 28-447 and 28-455, an eligible person may request that persons be prohibited from accessing the eligible person's identifying information, including any of that person's documents, contained in any record maintained by the department.

B. An eligible person may request this action by filing an affidavit that states all of the following on an application form developed by the administrative office of the courts in agreement with an association of counties, an organization of peace officers and the department:

1. The person's full legal name and residential address.

2. Unless the person is the spouse of a peace officer or the spouse or minor child of a deceased peace officer or the person is a former public official or former judge, the position the person currently holds and a description of the person's duties, except that an eligible person who is protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment shall attach a copy of the order of protection or injunction against harassment.

3. The reasons the person reasonably believes that the person's life or safety or that of another person is in danger and that redacting the identifying information from the department's public records will serve to reduce the danger.

C. The affidavit shall be filed with the presiding judge of the superior court in the county in which the affiant resides. To prevent multiple filings, an eligible person who is a peace officer, spouse of a peace officer, spouse or minor child of a deceased peace officer, prosecutor, code enforcement officer, corrections or detention officer, corrections support staff member or law enforcement support staff member shall deliver the affidavit to the peace officer's commanding officer, or to the head of the prosecuting, code enforcement, law enforcement, corrections or detention agency, as applicable, or that person's designee, who shall file the affidavits at one time. In the absence of an affidavit that contains a request for immediate action and that is supported by facts justifying an earlier presentation, the commanding officer, or the head of the prosecuting, code enforcement, law enforcement, corrections or detention agency, as applicable, or that person's designee, shall not file affidavits more often than quarterly.

D. On receipt of an affidavit or affidavits, the presiding judge of the superior court shall file with the clerk of the superior court a petition on behalf of all requesting affiants. Each affidavit presented shall be attached to the petition. In the absence of an affidavit that contains a request for immediate action and that is supported by facts justifying an earlier consideration, the presiding judge may accumulate affidavits and file a petition at the end of each quarter.

E. The presiding judge of the superior court shall review the petition and each attached affidavit to determine whether the action requested by each affiant should be granted. The presiding judge of the superior court shall order the redaction of the residence address and telephone number from the public records maintained by the department if the judge concludes that this action will reduce a danger to the life or safety of the affiant or another person.

F. On entry of the court order, the clerk of the superior court shall file the court order with the department.  Not more than one hundred fifty days after the date the department receives the court order, the department shall redact the identifying information of the affiants listed in the court order from the public records of the department.  The identifying information shall not be disclosed and is not part of a public record.

G. If the court denies an affiant's request pursuant to this section, the affiant may request a court hearing. The hearing shall be conducted by the court in the county where the petition was filed.

H. On motion to the court, if the presiding judge of the superior court concludes that identifying information has been sealed in error or that the cause for the original affidavit no longer exists, the presiding judge may vacate the court order prohibiting public access to the identifying information.

I. Notwithstanding sections 28-447 and 28-455, the department shall not release a photograph of a peace officer if the peace officer has made a request as prescribed in this section that persons be prohibited from accessing the peace officer's identifying information in any record maintained by the department.

J. This section does not prohibit the use of a peace officer's photograph that is either:

1. Used by a law enforcement agency to assist a person who has a complaint against an officer to identify the officer.

2. Obtained from a source other than the department.

K. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Code enforcement officer" means a person who is employed by a state or local government and whose duties include performing field inspections of buildings, structures or property to ensure compliance with and enforce national, state and local laws, ordinances and codes.

2. "Commissioner" means a commissioner of the superior court or municipal court.

3. "Corrections support staff member" means an adult or juvenile corrections employee who has direct contact with inmates.

4. "Eligible person" means a former public official, peace officer, spouse of a peace officer, spouse or minor child of a deceased public officer, justice, judge or former judge, commissioner, hearing officer, public defender, prosecutor, code enforcement officer, adult or juvenile corrections officer, corrections support staff member, probation officer, member of the commission on appellate court appointments, member of the board of executive clemency, law enforcement support staff member, employee of the department of child safety or employee of adult protective services who has direct contact with families in the course of employment, national guard member or border patrol agent who is acting in support of a law enforcement agency, person who is protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment or firefighter or emergency medical technician who is assigned to the Arizona counter terrorism information center in the department of public safety.

5. "Former public official" means a person who was duly elected or appointed to Congress, the legislature or a statewide office, who ceased serving in that capacity and who was the victim of a dangerous offense as defined in section 13-105 while in office.

6. "Hearing officer" means a hearing officer who is appointed pursuant to section 28-1553.

7. "Judge" means a judge or former judge of the United States district court, the United States court of appeals, the United States magistrate court, the United States bankruptcy court, the United States immigration court, the Arizona court of appeals, the superior court or a municipal court.

8. "Justice" means a justice of the United States supreme court or the Arizona supreme court or a justice of the peace.

9. "Law enforcement support staff member" means a person who serves in the role of an investigator or prosecutorial assistant in an agency that investigates or prosecutes crimes, who is integral to the investigation or prosecution of crimes and whose name or identity will be revealed in the course of public proceedings.

10. "Peace officer":

(a) Has the same meaning prescribed in section 1-215.

(b) Includes a federal law enforcement officer or agent who resides in this state and who has the power to make arrests pursuant to federal law.

11. "Prosecutor" means a current or former United States attorney, county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general and includes a current or former assistant or deputy United States attorney, county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general. END_STATUTE

2. The Secretary of State shall submit this proposition to the voters at the next general election as provided by article IV, part 1, section 1, Constitution of Arizona.