Ready, Fire, Aim
In a classic case of acting first and thinking later, the Utah Senate confirmed Tom Patterson, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s nominee to head the Department of Corrections, and then began asking questions as to whether he legally could hold the job.
Huntsman named Patterson, who does not have a law enforcement background, to replace Scott Carver, who was demoted after a scathing legislative audit of the department.
The Senate dutifully confirmed the appointment on Tuesday, and then the questions begin.
Because Corrections Department directors have always been certified law enforcement officers and state statute 64-13-3 requires the director to be trained in criminology and penology, the assumption was the director must be certified by the Police Officer Standards and Training office, which Patterson is not.
That question came up after the confirmation, and that raised concerns because Section 52-2-1 of the State Code says if an office holder is not qualified for the job, it automatically becomes vacant after 60 days.
But research conducted by legislative staff has concluded the law does not require POST certification, so Patterson, who plans to take the courses to become POST certified, should be OK.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
Huntsman named Patterson, who does not have a law enforcement background, to replace Scott Carver, who was demoted after a scathing legislative audit of the department.
The Senate dutifully confirmed the appointment on Tuesday, and then the questions begin.
Because Corrections Department directors have always been certified law enforcement officers and state statute 64-13-3 requires the director to be trained in criminology and penology, the assumption was the director must be certified by the Police Officer Standards and Training office, which Patterson is not.
That question came up after the confirmation, and that raised concerns because Section 52-2-1 of the State Code says if an office holder is not qualified for the job, it automatically becomes vacant after 60 days.
But research conducted by legislative staff has concluded the law does not require POST certification, so Patterson, who plans to take the courses to become POST certified, should be OK.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
12:06 PM
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