SOUTHPORT — The Southport Police Department is concerned about House Bill 1186. The legislation has passed out of the House and will make its way through the senate once the session resumes next week.
The bill does a number of things that the department supports, however, a portion of the bill would restrict reserve police officers from exercising jurisdiction outside of the agency they are affiliated with, which means that those who respond to assist in other areas would face limitations on their authority.
According to lawmakers, reserve officers typically receive fewer hours of training compared to full-time officers. However, Southport Police Chief Tom Vaughn emphasizes that his department administers additional training for their reserve officers, which enhances their ability to serve and assist effectively.
“We build our department around the three full-time officers we have, so without the reserves being able to help with the investigations, help with the training, that's a lot of work for three people to try and accomplish,” Chief Vaughn said.
To add public pressure and provide further insights into the potential implications of the legislation, Chief Vaughn hosted a town hall meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Southport City Hall.
The meeting was designed to inform residents about the proposed bill and its potential effects on public safety. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and give their input.
"I would like to think that our senators, when they hear their constituents' concerns, and they hear what we talked about tonight, that they realize this bill has some real issues and it's got some detrimental effects," Tamara Watson, Protocol Officer, said during the meeting. "And I would like to think that our senators bipartisan, on both sides of the aisle, don't want the safety of our citizens in Indiana to be affected like this."
