House Bill 198

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-3-519, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE THE SHERIFF AND HIS OR HER DEPUTIES IN ANY COUNTY HAVING A POPULATION OF 150,000 OR MORE TO USE RADAR SPEED DETECTION EQUIPMENT UPON THE PUBLIC STREETS, ROADS AND HIGHWAYS OF THE COUNTY LYING OUTSIDE THE LIMITS OF ANY INCORPORATED MUNICIPALITY AND EXCLUDING ANY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY; TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN MEASURES MAY BE TAKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY IF CERTAIN ABUSE IS REPORTED CONCERNING THE USE OF SUCH EQUIPMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 63-3-519, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-3-519. It shall be unlawful for any person or peace officer or law enforcement agency, except the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, to purchase or use or allow to be used any type of radar speed detection equipment upon any public street, road or highway of this state. However, such equipment may be used:

(a) By municipal law enforcement officers within a municipality having a population of two thousand (2,000) or more according to the latest or a previous federal census upon the public streets of the municipality, but in no case where the latest federal census population for the municipality is less than one thousand five hundred (1,500);

(b) By any college or university campus police force within the confines of any campus wherein more than two thousand (2,000) students are enrolled;

(c) By municipal law enforcement officers in any municipality having a population in excess of fifteen thousand (15,000) according to the latest federal census on federally designated highways lying within the corporate limits.

(d) By municipal law enforcement officers upon the public streets of any incorporated municipality (i) where the county seat is located in the municipality and (ii) where there is a public community college located in the municipality.

(e) (i) By the sheriff and deputy sheriffs of any county having a population of one hundred fifty thousand (150,000) or more according to the 2020 federal decennial census, on any public county road or highway within the county, excluding any interstate or state highway that is located outside the corporate limits of any incorporated municipality. Before the sheriff and deputy sheriffs of any such county exercises the authority authorized under this paragraph (e), the board of supervisors of the county must authorize the use of radar speed detection devices by order duly adopted and entered upon its minutes.

(ii) If the Department of Public Safety determines that the authority granted under this paragraph (e) is being abused after such purported abuse is reported and investigated by the department, then the commissioner of the department is authorized to notify the county of the abuse and the radar speed detection devices may be removed from the offending sheriff and his or her deputies.

The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol shall be immediately notified by municipal law enforcement of any road blockages or emergencies occurring on any federally designated limited-access highways lying within the corporate limits.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025.