The Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission hereby gives notice:
that on October 27, 2011, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission has issued an order.
On August 10, 2011, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, received a petition for a permanent waiver of subsection 11B-27.00212(14), F.A.C., by the Sarasota – Manatee Airport Authority Police Department on behalf of two officers for the 2008 and 2010 firearms requalification period. Subsection 11B-27.00212(14), F.A.C., requires officers to requalify with a firearm every two years under a CJSTC-certified firearms instructor on a course of fire mandated by Commission rule. Notice of receipt of the petition was published in the Florida Administrative Weekly Vol. 37, No. 35, September 2, 2011.
The petition supported the requested waiver by stating that the officers did successfully complete the course of fire, however, the CJSTC form 86A for each officer was not signed by a CJSTC certified firearms instructor during the 2008 and 2010 reporting cycles. Petitioner stated that the agency’s officers will suffer a substantial hardship if their certifications are rendered inactive as a result of this situation. Petitioner further stated that it would violate the principles of fairness to fail to recognize that the officers affected by this situation did successfully complete the requirement simply because their instructors had failed to sign their CJSTC form 86A for their requalification shoots during the 2008 and 2010 reporting cycles.
On October 27, 2011, at its regularly scheduled business agenda meeting held in Ponte Vedra, Florida, the Commission found that the Petitioner’s situation is unique. The Petitioner demonstrated that the strict application of the Commission’s rules in this case would violate the principles of fairness. The Petitioner’s officers had, in fact, completed the Commission’s course of fire and achieved a passing score. The only deficiency in the officer’s firearms requalifications was that their CJSTC 86A forms were not signed by a CJSTC-certified firearms instructor for the 2008 and 2010 reporting cycles. The Commission found that the purposes of the underlying statute, to ensure that officers receive adequate and timely retraining, will be met by granting this waiver request. The Commission granted the Petitioner's waiver.
A copy of the Order or additional information may be obtained by contacting:
Grace A. Jaye, Assistant General Counsel, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, P. O. Box 1489, Tallahassee, FL 32327 or by telephoning (850)410-7676.