Senate Bill 2381

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 33-1-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE THE ADJUTANT GENERAL TO REQUIRE CERTAIN CIVILIAN GUARD EMPLOYEES TO MEET STANDARDS ESTABLISHED BY THE MISSISSIPPI LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER'S TRAINING PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE SUCH ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO BE PLACED IN THE MISSISSIPPI LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER'S TRAINING PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 33-1-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

33-1-33. (1) The civilian guards employed by the military department, whether paid by state appropriations, federal funds, or other authorized funds, or any combination thereof, and assigned to duties of safeguarding personal and real property belonging to the state or United States or government mixed properties or personal properties belonging to officers and men of the national guard or of the employees of the military department are hereby given peace officer powers of a constable on the military facilities and reservations to which such civilian guards are assigned.

(2) During periods of annual training, the Adjutant General may designate personnel of military police units to have peace officer powers of a constable on the military facilities or reservations at Camp McCain, Grenada, Mississippi, Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the Air National Guard Training Site, Gulfport, Mississippi, to supplement the civilian guards in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) The Adjutant General may designate certain civilian guard duties to be of such a nature as to require the standards established by the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Program for peace officers. This standard is established to authorize a peace officer to investigate, for the purposes of prosecution, any suspected criminal violation of state laws or military regulations. For the purpose of enforcement, the enforcement officers have the powers of a peace officer on the military facilities and reservations to which assigned, to include but not limited to, accident investigation, use of radar detection and intoxilizer. All enforcement officers hired after July 1, 1994, shall be placed in the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer's Training Program and shall be required to meet the standards outlined by that program. All emergency telecommunication personnel shall be required to complete the Emergency Telecommunications Course.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2003.