1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to public safety; permitting municipal police 
  1.3             departments to utilize black patrol vehicles; striking 
  1.4             references to constables in the law addressing the 
  1.5             color of police vehicles; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.6             2000, section 169.98, subdivisions 1, 1a, 1b, 3. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 169.98, 
  1.9   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [COLORS AND MARKINGS.] (a) Except as 
  1.11  provided in subdivisions 2 and 2a, all motor vehicles which are 
  1.12  primarily used in the enforcement of highway traffic rules by 
  1.13  the state patrol or for general uniform patrol assignment by any 
  1.14  municipal police department or other law enforcement agency, 
  1.15  except conservation officers, shall have uniform colors and 
  1.16  markings as provided herein in this subdivision.  Motor vehicles 
  1.17  of: 
  1.18     (1) municipal police departments, including the University 
  1.19  of Minnesota police department and park police units, and 
  1.20  constables shall be predominantly blue, brown, green, black, or 
  1.21  white; 
  1.22     (2) the state patrol shall be predominantly maroon; and 
  1.23     (3) the county sheriffs' office shall be predominantly 
  1.24  brown or white.  
  1.25     (b) The identity of the governmental unit operating the 
  1.26  vehicle shall be displayed on both front door panels and on the 
  2.1   rear of the vehicle.  The identity may be in the form of a 
  2.2   shield or emblem, or may be the word "police," "sheriff," or the 
  2.3   words "state patrol" or "conservation officer," as appropriate, 
  2.4   with letters not less than 2-1/2 inches high, one-inch wide and 
  2.5   of a three-eighths inch brush stroke.  The identity shall be of 
  2.6   a color contrasting with the background color so that the motor 
  2.7   vehicle is easily identifiable as belonging to a specific type 
  2.8   of law enforcement agency.  Each vehicle shall be marked with 
  2.9   its own identifying number on the rear of the vehicle.  The 
  2.10  number shall be printed in the same size and color required 
  2.11  pursuant to this subdivision for identifying words which may be 
  2.12  displayed on the vehicle.  
  2.13     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective August 1, 2002. 
  2.14     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 169.98, 
  2.15  subdivision 1a, is amended to read: 
  2.16     Subd. 1a.  [VEHICLE STOP AUTHORITY.] Only a person who is 
  2.17  licensed as a peace officer, constable, or part-time peace 
  2.18  officer under sections 626.84 to section 626.863 may use a motor 
  2.19  vehicle governed by subdivision 1 to stop a vehicle as defined 
  2.20  in section 169.01, subdivision 2.  In addition, a hazardous 
  2.21  materials specialist employed by the department of 
  2.22  transportation may, in the course of responding to an emergency, 
  2.23  use a motor vehicle governed by subdivision 1 to stop a vehicle 
  2.24  as defined in section 169.01, subdivision 2. 
  2.25     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective August 1, 2002. 
  2.26     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 169.98, 
  2.27  subdivision 1b, is amended to read: 
  2.28     Subd. 1b.  [OPERATION OF MARKED VEHICLE.] Except as 
  2.29  otherwise permitted under sections 221.221 and 299D.06, a motor 
  2.30  vehicle governed by subdivision 1 may only be operated by a 
  2.31  person licensed as a peace officer, constable, or part-time 
  2.32  peace officer under sections 626.84 to section 626.863.  This 
  2.33  prohibition does not apply to the following: 
  2.34     (1) a marked vehicle that is operated for maintenance 
  2.35  purposes only; 
  2.36     (2) a marked vehicle that is operated during a skills 
  3.1   course approved by the peace officers standards and training 
  3.2   board; 
  3.3      (3) a marked vehicle that is operated to transport 
  3.4   prisoners or equipment; or 
  3.5      (4) a marked vehicle that is operated by a reserve officer 
  3.6   providing supplementary assistance at the direction of the chief 
  3.7   law enforcement officer or the officer's designee, when a 
  3.8   licensed peace officer as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 
  3.9   1, paragraph (c), who is employed by that political subdivision, 
  3.10  is on duty within the political subdivision. 
  3.11     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective August 1, 2002. 
  3.12     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 169.98, 
  3.13  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  3.14     Subd. 3.  [SECURITY GUARD VEHICLE.] (a) All motor vehicles 
  3.15  which are used by security guards in the course of their 
  3.16  employment may have any color other than those specified in 
  3.17  subdivision 1 for law enforcement vehicles.  The identity of the 
  3.18  security service shall be displayed on the motor vehicle as 
  3.19  required for law enforcement vehicles.  
  3.20     (b) Notwithstanding subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause 
  3.21  (1), a security guard may continue to use a motor vehicle that 
  3.22  is predominantly black in the course of the guard's employment 
  3.23  if the vehicle was being used in this manner before August 1, 
  3.24  2002. 
  3.25     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective August 1, 2002.