Opinion No. 13-69

Topics:

POLICE DEPARTMENTS.
POLICE OFFICERS.
CITIES, TOWNS, AND VILLAGES.
CITY POLICE.

Summary conclusion

Graduation from or completion of courses offered by the Police Academy of Metropolitan St. Louis Police Department does not fulfill the requirements of Section 66.250, RSMo Supp. 1967.

January 10, 1969

Honorable Barbara Kurtz
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Office
Clayton, Missouri 63105

Dear Mrs. Kurtz:

In response to your request for an opinion from this office on the question whether the law enforcement officers training course conducted by the Police Academy of the Met­ropolitan St. Louis Police Department fulfills the require­ment of paragraph one of Section 66.250 RSMo, Supp 1967, which provides:

"1. Any person hired after October 13, 1963, to serve as a police officer in a municipal police department in any county`of the first class having a chartered form of government shall, within six months after beginning such employment, satisfactorily complete a law en­forcement officer training course conducted by the county police department of the state high­way patrol or any accredited college course for police officers."

 The Supreme Court of Missouri in the case of in re Burgess, 359 SW 2nd 487, stated the general rule as to sta­tutory construction. The court said, l.c. 487:

"The basic rule of statutory construction is to seek intention of law makers and, if possi­ble, to effectuate that intention, and the court should ascertain legislative intent from the words used, if possible, and should ascribe to language used in its plain and rational mean­ing."

In determining the intent and application of this statute it is obvious that law makers specifically designated a law enforce­ment officers training course conducted by the county police de­partment or state highway patrol or an accredited college course for police officers. There is no mention of the officers train­ing course conducted by the Metropolitan St. Louis_ Police Depart­ment. We are informed by officials of the St. Louis City Police Department that the law enforcement officers training course con­ducted by the Police Academy of the Metropolitan St. Louis Police Department is not accredited by any college or university. Since the training course conducted by the Metropolitan St. Louis Police is not accredited by any college or university, completion of such course is not a compliance with the requirements of Section 66.250.

CONCLUSION

 It is the opinion of this office that a person hired after October 13, 1963, to serve as a police officer in a municipal police department in a first class county with a chartered gov­ernment who does not within six months after beginning such..em­ployment satisfactorily complete a law enforcement officers training course conducted by the county police department or the state highway patrol or an accredited college course for police officers does not fulfill the requirements of Section 66.250 RSMo supp 1967 and the completion of a law enforcement officers training course conducted by the Police Academy of Metropolitan St. Louis Police Department does not fulfill the requirements of such Section.

The foregoing opinion which I have approved was prepared by my assistant, Walter W. Nowotny, Jr.

Very truly yours,

John C. Danforth
Attorney General