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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
appropriation; major incident task forces
Purpose
Appropriates $600,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2027 to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) to distribute, and requires the FY 2026 appropriation of $600,000 to ACJC for the major incident regional law enforcement task force to be distributed, evenly to the sheriffs' offices of the original five Major Incident Division task forces, as specified.
Background
Subject to legislative appropriation, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) must maintain the Major Incident Division to: 1) use investigators who are certified by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board or were sworn employees of a federal, state, county or local law enforcement agency (LEA), who have demonstrated the skills, knowledge, abilities and training as approved by the Director of DPS and who have successfully completed Director-identified and Board-approved investigative courses to conduct independent investigations of critical force incidents; and 2) at the request of a chief of police or county sheriff, investigate a criminal allegation against a peace officer who is employed by the LEA. Each LEA must require the Major Incident Division, a regional law enforcement task force or another LEA to perform the criminal investigation of any critical force incidents in Arizona.
A critical force incident is: 1) any discharge of a firearm by a peace officer, due to a use of force encounter, regardless of whether it results in the injury or death of an individual; or 2) an incident involving a peace officer's intended use of deadly force or use of force by any other means that results in death or serious bodily injury of another person during an on-duty or off-duty incident while acting under the color of authority (A.R.S. § 41-1762).
Laws 2025, Chapter 233 appropriated $600,000 in FY 2026 to the major incident regional law enforcement Task Force. H.B. 2418 appropriates $600,000 from the state GF in FY 2027 to ACJC.
Provisions
1. Appropriates $600,000 from the state GF in FY 2027 to ACJC to distribute evenly to the sheriffs' offices of the original five Major Incident Division task forces located in Cochise, Coconino, Navajo, Pinal and Yuma County.
2. Requires the FY 2026 $600,000 appropriation to ACJC for the major incident regional law enforcement task force to be distributed evenly to the sheriffs' offices of the original five Major Incident Division task forces located in Cochise, Coconino, Navajo, Pinal and Yuma County.
3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
JUD 2/4/26 DP 9-0-0-0
APPROP 2/11/26 DPA 17-1-0-0
3rd Read 2/25/26 54-0-6
Prepared by Senate Research
March 20, 2026
KJA/SDR/hk