Opinion ID: 2450462
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Duty to Certify

Text: A court should refrain from deciding constitutional issues if a case can be resolved without reaching those issues. State ex rel. Williams v. Marsh, 626 S.W.2d 223, 227 (Mo. banc 1982). Therefore, this Court first examines whether the statutes at issueassuming their constitutionalitycreate a right enforceable by mandamus. A writ of mandamus is only appropriate when the respondent has a clear duty to perform a certain act. State ex rel. Kiely v. Schmidli, 583 S.W.2d 236, 237 (Mo.App.1979); see also State ex rel. City of Cabool v. Texas County Board of Equalization, 850 S.W.2d 102, 105 (Mo. banc 1993). Mandamus may not be used to establish new rights, but instead may be used only to enforce an existing right. State ex rel. Brentwood School District v. State Tax Commission, 589 S.W.2d 613, 614 (Mo. banc 1979). Blue Springs contends that the Director must certify these officers by the mandate of § 590.115.6: Peace officers meeting the requirements in subsection 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 of this section shall be certified by the director as having completed the training requirements under sections 590.100 to 590.180. The parties dispute the meaning of two parts of this subsection: 1) the requirements in subsection 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5; and 2) shall be certified ... as having completed the training requirements. Section 590.115 provides alternative ways to meet the training requirements. At issue is what method subsection 2 specifies. Blue Springs argues that subsection 2 provides that certain peace officers (including its nine) automatically meet these requirements by grandparenting. The Director counters that grandparented officers need not be certified and are exempt from certification. According to the Director, the requirements in subsection ... 2 are an option for those grandparented officers to be certified (if they so desire) after completing the same training as is required for other officers. The Director's argument is contrary to the clear intent of the statutes. Chapter 590 requires that all permanently-employed, full-time, non-elected peace officers employed by the state, counties, or municipalities be certified as a condition of their employment. § 590.110. The meaning of certified in § 590.115.6 is clear. The Director certifies that an individual has met the minimal requirements for a peace officer in that officer's jurisdiction. From the stipulationassuming the validity of § 590.115.2 these nine officers have met the minimal training requirements for their jurisdiction. The Director attempts to argue that shall should be interpreted to grant discretion rather than to impose a mandatory duty. Generally, the word shall connotes a mandatory duty. State ex rel. Scott v. Kirkpatrick, 484 S.W.2d 161, 164 (Mo. banc 1972); Black's Law Dictionary 1375 (6th ed. 1990). In the context of Chapter 590, the use of the word shall in § 590.115.6 imposes a mandatory duty on the Director to certify the Blue Springs officers covered by § 590.115.2 assuming it is constitutional.