Arizona § 41-1711 - Department of public safety; purpose; location; qualifications of director; responsibilities

§ 41-1711. Department of public safety; purpose; location; qualifications of director; responsibilities

A. There shall be a department of public safety which is responsible for creating and coordinating services for use by local law enforcement agencies in protecting the public safety. The principal office and headquarters of the department shall be in Phoenix.

B. The department shall formulate plans with a view to establishing modern services for prevention of crime, apprehension of violators, training of law enforcement personnel, and the promotion of public safety. The department shall in no way preempt the authority and jurisdiction of established agencies of political subdivisions of the state.

C. The director shall be selected on the basis of training and experience with a minimum of five years' experience in the administration of law enforcement.

D. The director shall be appointed by the governor pursuant to section 38-211 to serve concurrently with the appointing governor and shall be subject to removal for cause, including but not limited to malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance in office.  The director shall receive annual compensation as determined pursuant to section 38-611.

E. The director shall be directly responsible to the governor for the conduct and the administration of the department.  If the director is unable to act, the deputy director shall direct the activities of the department during the period in which the director is unable to act.  If the director and deputy director are unable to act, the governor shall direct the activities of the department during the period in which the director and deputy director are unable to act.

F. The director shall prescribe procedures for use of department personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies and other resources in assisting search or rescue operations.

G. The director shall be responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of the statewide emergency medical services communication system prescribed by section 41-1835.

H. The director may purchase, lease, equip, staff and operate air ambulances, including ambulance helicopters, pursuant to section 41-1834.

I. To limit the expenditures of monies derived from the state highway fund established pursuant to article IX, section 14, Constitution of Arizona, to traffic safety and traffic law enforcement purposes, the department of public safety shall:

1. Maintain a strict account of all costs incurred by each function of the department. Such costs shall be determined and allocated between traffic safety or traffic law enforcement functions and all other departmental functions and shall include such costs as wages or salaries, materials or supplies and equipment or facility use.

2. Immediately following the determination of all such costs certify to the office of strategic planning and budgeting the full amount of all such costs relating to the various functions within the department.

J. The office of strategic planning and budgeting shall annually submit a separate report to the legislature compiled from the department's functional costs certification indicating the complete breakdown between those costs which are related to traffic safety or traffic law enforcement functions and the various other functions within the department. The director of the department of administration shall include within the director's annual report to the legislature a recommendation for a separate appropriation to reimburse the state highway fund from the state general fund for any expenditures from the state highway fund during the prior fiscal year in excess of the total of all costs related to traffic safety or traffic law enforcement functions of the department.

K. The director shall establish a special hazardous materials emergency response organizational unit within the department to function as the initial response element of the hazardous materials emergency management program pursuant to section 49-123.

L. The department is designated as this state's recipient of federal victims of crime act grants.