(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), (c), (d), or (e), each of the following persons is disqualified from holding office as a peace officer or being employed as a peace officer of the state, county, city, city and county, or other political subdivision, whether with or without compensation, and is disqualified from any office or employment by the state, county, city, city and county, or other political subdivision, whether with or without compensation, which confers upon the holder or employee the powers and duties of a peace officer:

(1) Any person who has been convicted of a felony.

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(2) Any person who has been convicted of any offense in any other jurisdiction which would have been a felony if committed in this state.

(3) Any person who has been discharged from the military for committing an offense, as adjudicated by a military tribunal, which would have been a felony if committed in this state.

(4) (A) Any person who, after January 1, 2004, has been convicted of a crime based upon a verdict or finding of guilt of a felony by the trier of fact, or upon the entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a felony. This paragraph applies regardless of whether, pursuant to subdivision (b) of § 17 of the Penal Code, the court declares the offense to be a misdemeanor or the offense becomes a misdemeanor by operation of law.

(B) For purposes of this paragraph, a person has been “convicted of a crime” immediately upon entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, or upon being found guilty by a trier of fact of, a felony offense, including an offense that may be charged as a misdemeanor or felony and that was charged as a felony at the time of the conviction.

(C) Effective January 1, 2022, any person who has been convicted of a crime in accordance with this paragraph shall not regain eligibility for peace officer employment based upon the nature of any sentence ordered or imposed. In addition, no such person shall regain eligibility for peace officer employment based upon any later order of the court setting aside, vacating, withdrawing, expunging or otherwise dismissing or reversing the conviction, unless the court finds the person to be factually innocent of the crime for which they were convicted at the time of entry of the order.

(5) Any person who has been charged with a felony and adjudged by a superior court to be mentally incompetent under Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 1367) of Title 10 of Part 2 of the Penal Code.

(6) Any person who has been found not guilty by reason of insanity of any felony.

(7) Any person who has been determined to be a mentally disordered sex offender pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 6300) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(8) Any person adjudged addicted or in danger of becoming addicted to narcotics, convicted, and committed to a state institution as provided in § 3051 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(9) Any person who, following exhaustion of all available appeals, has been convicted of, or adjudicated through an administrative, military, or civil judicial process requiring not less than clear and convincing evidence, including a hearing that meets the requirements of the administrative adjudication provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2), as having committed, any act that is a violation of Section 115, 115.3, 116, 116.5, or 117 of, or of any offense described in Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 92), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 118), Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 132), or Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 142) of Title 7 of Part 1 of the Penal Code, including any act committed in another jurisdiction that would have been a violation of any of those sections if committed in this state.

(10) Any person who has been issued the certification described in § 13510.1 of the Penal Code, and has had that certification revoked by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, has voluntarily surrendered that certification pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 13510.8, or having met the minimum requirement for issuance of certification, has been denied issuance of certification.

(11) Any person previously employed in law enforcement in any state or United States territory or by the federal government, whose name is listed in the National Decertification Index of the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training or any other database designated by the federal government whose certification as a law enforcement officer in that jurisdiction was revoked for misconduct, or who, while employed as a law enforcement officer, engaged in serious misconduct that would have resulted in their certification being revoked by the commission if employed as a peace officer in this state.

(b) (1) A plea of guilty to a felony pursuant to a deferred entry of judgment program as set forth in Sections 1000 to 1000.4, inclusive, of the Penal Code shall not alone disqualify a person from being a peace officer unless a judgment of guilty is entered pursuant to § 1000.3 of the Penal Code.

(2) A person who pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or who is found guilty by a trier of fact of, an alternate felony-misdemeanor drug possession offense and successfully completes a program of probation pursuant to § 1210.1 of the Penal Code shall not be disqualified from being a peace officer solely on the basis of the plea or finding if the court deems the offense to be a misdemeanor or reduces the offense to a misdemeanor.

(c) Any person who has been convicted of a felony, other than a felony punishable by death, in this state or any other state, or who has been convicted of any offense in any other state which would have been a felony, other than a felony punishable by death, if committed in this state, and who demonstrates the ability to assist persons in programs of rehabilitation may hold office and be employed as a parole officer of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or the Division of Juvenile Justice, or as a probation officer in a county probation department, if the person has been granted a full and unconditional pardon for the felony or offense of which they were convicted. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or the Division of Juvenile Justice, or a county probation department, may refuse to employ that person regardless of their qualifications.

(d) This section does not limit or curtail the power or authority of any board of police commissioners, chief of police, sheriff, mayor, or other appointing authority to appoint, employ, or deputize any person as a peace officer in time of disaster caused by flood, fire, pestilence or similar public calamity, or to exercise any power conferred by law to summon assistance in making arrests or preventing the commission of any criminal offense.

(e) This section does not prohibit any person from holding office or being employed as a superintendent, supervisor, or employee having custodial responsibilities in an institution operated by a probation department, if at the time of the person’s hire a prior conviction of a felony was known to the person’s employer, and the class of office for which the person was hired was not declared by law to be a class prohibited to persons convicted of a felony, but as a result of a change in classification, as provided by law, the new classification would prohibit employment of a person convicted of a felony.

(f) The Department of Justice shall supply the commission with necessary disqualifying felony and misdemeanor conviction data for all persons known by the department to be current or former peace officers. The commission shall be permitted to use the information for decertification purposes. The data, once received by the commission, shall be made available for public inspection pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1), including documentation of the person’s appointment, promotion, and demotion dates, as well as certification or licensing status and the reason or disposition for the person leaving service.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28, Sec. 52. (SB 1380) Effective January 1, 2023.)