*ES0525.1*
April 8, 2025
ENGROSSED
SENATE BILL No. 525
_____
DIGEST OF SB 525 (Updated April 8, 2025 10:57 am - DI 116)
Citations Affected: IC 5-2; IC 5-10; IC 20-26; IC 35-42; IC 35-44.1;
IC 36-2; IC 36-8; noncode.
Synopsis: Public safety matters. Provides that all deputies, excluding
reserve deputies and jail deputies, employed by the Marion County
sheriff's office on December 31, 2025, shall be certified by the law
enforcement training board (board) as Tier II law enforcement officers.
Requires the Marion County sheriff's office to submit to the board a list
of deputies who have successfully completed at least the minimum
basic training requirements at the Marion County Sheriff's Office
Academy. Provides that before January 1, 2026, the following actions
must be taken: (1) The Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy shall
adopt a Tier I basic training curriculum as approved by the board. (2)
The board shall approve the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy
as a Tier 1 basic training academy governed by the requirements
established by the board. Provides that after January 1, 2026, a deputy
employed by the Marion County sheriff's office shall receive basic
(Continued next page)
Effective: Upon passage; July 1, 2025.
Carrasco, Freeman,
Randolph Lonnie M
(HOUSE SPONSORS — IRELAND, BARTELS)
January 16, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Corrections and Criminal
Law.
February 11, 2025, reported favorably — Do Pass.
February 18, 2025, read second time, amended, ordered engrossed.
February 19, 2025, engrossed.
February 20, 2025, read third time, passed. Yeas 33, nays 15.
HOUSE ACTION
March 3, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Veterans Affairs and Public
Safety.
April 8, 2025, amended, reported — Do Pass.
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 Digest Continued
training at the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy. Makes
changes to the definition of a "law enforcement officer" for purposes
of mandatory training for law enforcement officers. Provides that a
correctional professional is considered a public safety officer for
purposes of determining eligibility for line of duty death benefits.
(Current law provides that a correctional officer is considered a public
safety officer for determining eligibility for line of duty death benefits.)
Provides that a school resource officer who has completed Tier I or
Tier II basic training has statewide jurisdiction. Provides that a school
resource officer may pursue a person who flees from a school resource
officer after the school resource officer has, by visible or audible
means, including the operation of the school resource officer's siren or
emergency lights, identified themself and ordered the person to stop.
Increases the penalty for criminal recklessness from a Class B to a
Class A misdemeanor. Specifies that the immunities and limitations on
liability that apply to a law enforcement officer (and the officer's
employing agency) acting within the officer's jurisdictional area also
apply to an officer (and employing agency) acting outside the
jurisdictional area under certain circumstances. Makes pointing a
firearm by a passenger in a vehicle whose driver is committing criminal
recklessness a Level 6 felony under certain circumstances. Adds a
hospital police department to the definition of police departments
required to provide police officers with certain rights. Provides that the
legislative council is urged to assign to the appropriate interim study
committee the task of studying the following: (1) Whether a sheriff's
office located in a city containing a consolidated city should operate
under a merit system. (2) Whether IC 36-3-1-5.1 should be modified or
repealed.
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 April 8, 2025
First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
ENGROSSED
SENATE BILL No. 525
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
public safety.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
1 SECTION 1. IC 5-2-1-2, AS AMENDED BY P.L.173-2023,
2 SECTION 1, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
3 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 2. For the purposes of this chapter, and unless the
4 context clearly denotes otherwise, the following definitions apply
5 throughout this chapter:
6 (1) "Law enforcement officer" means an appointed officer or
7 employee hired by and on the payroll of the state, any of the
8 state's political subdivisions, a hospital police department (as
9 described in IC 16-18-4), a tribal police officer (as described in
10 IC 5-2-24), or a public or private postsecondary educational
11 institution whose board of trustees has established a police
12 department under IC 21-17-5-2 or IC 21-39-4-2 who is granted
13 lawful authority to enforce all or some of the penal laws of the
14 state of Indiana and who possesses, with respect to those laws, the
15 power to effect arrests for offenses committed in the officer's or
16 employee's presence. The term includes a special officer
17 employed by a consolidated city full time after June 30, 2023,
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 2
1 to perform park ranger duties or a deputy of the Marion
2 County sheriff's office, excluding jail deputies appointed
3 under IC 36-8-10-10.6(f). However, except as otherwise
4 provided in this chapter, the following are expressly excluded
5 from the term "law enforcement officer" for the purposes of this
6 chapter:
7 (A) A constable.
8 (B) A special officer whose powers and duties are described
9 in IC 36-8-3-7 or a special deputy whose powers and duties are
10 described in IC 36-8-10-10.6. However, a special officer
11 employed by a consolidated city full time after June 30, 2023,
12 to perform park ranger duties is a law enforcement officer for
13 the purposes of this chapter.
14 (C) A county police reserve officer who receives compensation
15 for lake patrol duties under IC 36-8-3-20(f)(3).
16 (D) A conservation reserve officer who receives compensation
17 for lake patrol duties under IC 14-9-8-27.
18 (E) An employee of the gaming commission whose powers
19 and duties are described in IC 4-32.3-9.
20 (F) A correctional police officer described in IC 11-8-9.
21 For purposes of section 12.5 of this chapter, the term includes a
22 police reserve officer (as described in IC 36-8-3-20), even if the
23 police reserve officer works as a volunteer.
24 (2) "Board" means the law enforcement training board created by
25 this chapter.
26 (3) "Executive training program" means the police chief executive
27 training program developed by the board under section 9 of this
28 chapter.
29 (4) "Law enforcement training council" means one (1) of the
30 confederations of law enforcement agencies recognized by the
31 board and organized for the sole purpose of sharing training,
32 instructors, and related resources.
33 (5) "Training regarding the lawful use of force" includes
34 classroom and skills training in the proper application of hand to
35 hand defensive tactics, use of firearms, and other methods of:
36 (A) overcoming unlawful resistance; or
37 (B) countering other action that threatens the safety of the
38 public or a law enforcement officer.
39 (6) "Hiring or appointing authority" means:
40 (A) the chief executive officer, board, or other entity of a
41 police department or agency with authority to appoint and hire
42 law enforcement officers; or
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 3
1 (B) the governor, mayor, board, or other entity with the
2 authority to appoint a chief executive officer of a police
3 department or agency.
4 (7) "Crisis intervention team" refers to a local coalition with a
5 goal of improving the manner in which law enforcement and the
6 community respond to crisis situations in which an individual is
7 experiencing a mental health or addictive disorder crisis.
8 (8) "Law enforcement agency" means a state agency, a political
9 subdivision, a hospital police department (as described in
10 IC 16-18-4), a tribal law enforcement agency (as described in
11 IC 5-2-24), or a public or private postsecondary educational
12 institution that employs and has on its payroll a law enforcement
13 officer, including individuals described in subdivision (1)(A)
14 through (1)(F).
15 SECTION 2. IC 5-2-1-21 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
16 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
17 UPON PASSAGE]: Sec. 21. (a) This section applies to a county
18 containing a consolidated city.
19 (b) Notwithstanding any other law, all deputies, excluding
20 reserve deputies and jail deputies appointed under
21 IC 36-8-10-10.6(f), employed by the Marion County sheriff's office
22 on December 31, 2025, shall be certified by the board as Tier II law
23 enforcement officers, unless the deputy is otherwise certified as a
24 Tier I law enforcement officer. The Marion County sheriff's office
25 shall submit to the board a list of those deputies who have
26 successfully completed at least the minimum basic training
27 requirements at the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy. The
28 board shall transmit certificates of the certifications and other
29 related documentation to the Marion County sheriff's office not
30 later than March 1, 2026.
31 (c) Before January 1, 2026, the following actions must be taken:
32 (1) The Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy shall adopt
33 a Tier I basic training curriculum as approved by the board
34 under section 9(d) of this chapter.
35 (2) Subject to subdivision (1), the board shall approve the
36 Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy as a Tier 1 basic
37 training academy governed by the requirements established
38 by the board.
39 (d) If the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy does not
40 meet the requirements set forth in subsection (c)(1) before January
41 1, 2026, the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy may not
42 provide basic training to any deputy until it becomes compliant.
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 4
1 During that time, any deputy, excluding reserve deputies and jail
2 deputies appointed under IC 36-8-10-10.6(f), hired by the Marion
3 County sheriff's office shall be accepted for basic training at the
4 Indiana law enforcement academy in the same manner as other
5 law enforcement agencies.
6 SECTION 3. IC 5-10-10-4, AS AMENDED BY P.L.119-2022,
7 SECTION 4, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
8 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 4. As used in this chapter, "public safety officer"
9 means any of the following:
10 (1) A state police officer.
11 (2) A county sheriff.
12 (3) A county police officer.
13 (4) A correctional officer. correctional professional, which
14 includes a correctional officer, correctional police officer, or
15 any employee of the department of correction.
16 (5) An excise police officer.
17 (6) A county police reserve officer.
18 (7) A city or town police reserve officer.
19 (8) A conservation enforcement officer.
20 (9) A town marshal.
21 (10) A deputy town marshal.
22 (11) A probation officer.
23 (12) A state educational institution police officer appointed under
24 IC 21-39-4.
25 (13) A police officer whose employer purchases coverage under
26 section 4.5 of this chapter.
27 (14) An emergency medical services provider (as defined in
28 IC 16-41-10-1) who is:
29 (A) employed by a political subdivision (as defined in
30 IC 36-1-2-13); and
31 (B) not eligible for a special death benefit under IC 36-8-6-20,
32 IC 36-8-7-26, IC 36-8-7.5-22, or IC 36-8-8-20.
33 (15) A firefighter who is employed by the fire department of a
34 state university.
35 (16) A firefighter whose employer purchases coverage under
36 section 4.5 of this chapter.
37 (17) A member of a consolidated law enforcement department
38 established under IC 36-3-1-5.1.
39 (18) A gaming agent of the Indiana gaming commission.
40 (19) A person who is:
41 (A) employed by a political subdivision (as defined in
42 IC 36-1-2-13); and
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 5
1 (B) appointed as a special deputy under IC 36-8-10-10.6.
2 (20) A school corporation police officer appointed under
3 IC 20-26-16.
4 (21) A gaming control officer of the Indiana gaming commission.
5 (22) An eligible chaplain who meets the requirements of section
6 4.7 of this chapter.
7 (23) A community corrections officer.
8 (24) An eligible emergency medical services provider who meets
9 the requirements of section 4.8 of this chapter.
10 (25) An emergency medical services provider whose employer
11 purchases coverage under section 4.9 of this chapter.
12 (26) An emergency management worker (as defined in
13 IC 10-14-3-3), including:
14 (A) an employee of the Indiana department of homeland
15 security who is working in an official capacity as an employee
16 during a disaster or an emergency response; or
17 (B) an employee of a political subdivision who is employed as:
18 (i) an emergency management director;
19 (ii) an assistant emergency management director; or
20 (iii) a deputy emergency management director;
21 for the political subdivision.
22 (27) A division fire investigator (as described in IC 22-14-2-8).
23 (28) A school resource officer (as defined in IC 20-26-18.2-1)
24 who is not otherwise entitled to a line of duty benefit under:
25 (A) IC 36-8-6-20;
26 (B) IC 36-8-7.5-22; or
27 (C) IC 36-8-8-20;
28 while acting as a school resource officer.
29 (29) A county coroner.
30 (30) A deputy county coroner.
31 SECTION 4. IC 5-10-13-2, AS AMENDED BY P.L.178-2022(ts),
32 SECTION 4, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
33 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "employee" means an
34 individual who:
35 (1) is employed full time by the state or a political subdivision of
36 the state as:
37 (A) a member of a fire department (as defined in IC 36-8-1-8);
38 (B) an emergency medical services provider (as defined in
39 IC 16-41-10-1);
40 (C) a member of a police department (as defined in
41 IC 36-8-1-9);
42 (D) a correctional officer (as defined in IC 5-10-10-1.5);
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 6
1 correctional professional, which includes a correctional
2 officer (as defined in IC 5-10-10-1.5), correctional police
3 officer, or any employee of the department of correction;
4 (E) a state police officer;
5 (F) a county police officer;
6 (G) a county sheriff;
7 (H) an excise police officer;
8 (I) a conservation enforcement officer;
9 (J) a town marshal;
10 (K) a deputy town marshal;
11 (L) a department of homeland security fire investigator;
12 (M) a member of a consolidated law enforcement department
13 established under IC 36-3-1-5.1;
14 (N) a county coroner; or
15 (O) a deputy county coroner;
16 (2) in the course of the individual's employment is at high risk for
17 occupational exposure to an exposure risk disease; and
18 (3) is not employed elsewhere in a similar capacity.
19 SECTION 5. IC 20-26-18.2-3, AS ADDED BY P.L.172-2013,
20 SECTION 7, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
21 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 3. (a) A school resource officer may:
22 (1) make an arrest;
23 (2) conduct a search or a seizure of a person or property using the
24 reasonable suspicion standard;
25 (3) carry a firearm on or off school property; and
26 (4) pursue a person who flees from a school resource officer
27 after the school resource officer has, by visible or audible
28 means, including the operation of the school resource officer's
29 siren or emergency lights, identified themself and ordered the
30 person to stop; and
31 (4) (5) exercise other police powers with respect to the
32 enforcement of Indiana laws.
33 (b) A school resource officer who has completed Tier I or Tier II
34 basic training requirements established by the law enforcement
35 training board under IC 5-2-1-9 has statewide jurisdiction. in every
36 county where the school corporation or charter school engaging the
37 officer operates a school or where the school corporation or charter
38 school's students reside. This subsection does not restrict the
39 jurisdiction that a school resource officer may possess due to the
40 officer's employment by a law enforcement agency.
41 SECTION 6. IC 35-42-2-2, AS AMENDED BY P.L.184-2019,
42 SECTION 11, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 7
1 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 2. (a) A person who recklessly, knowingly, or
2 intentionally performs an act that creates a substantial risk of bodily
3 injury to another person commits criminal recklessness. Except as
4 provided in subsection (b), criminal recklessness is a Class B
5 misdemeanor. Class A misdemeanor.
6 (b) The offense of criminal recklessness as defined in subsection (a)
7 is:
8 (1) a Level 6 felony if:
9 (A) it is committed while armed with a deadly weapon; or
10 (B) the person committed aggressive driving (as defined in
11 IC 9-21-8-55) that results in serious bodily injury to another
12 person; or
13 (2) a Level 5 felony if:
14 (A) it is committed by shooting a firearm into an occupied
15 motor vehicle, an inhabited dwelling, or other another
16 building or place where people are likely to gather; be
17 present; or
18 (B) the person committed aggressive driving (as defined in
19 IC 9-21-8-55) that results in the death or catastrophic injury of
20 another person.
21 (c) A person who:
22 (1) is a passenger in a vehicle whose operator has committed
23 an offense under subsection (a) or (b); and
24 (2) points a firearm at another person, a motor vehicle, a
25 dwelling, or another building or place where people are likely
26 to be present;
27 commits criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony. It is not a defense
28 to a prosecution under this section that the operator of the motor
29 vehicle has not been charged with or convicted of an offense under
30 this section.
31 SECTION 7. IC 35-44.1-3-1, AS AMENDED BY P.L.141-2024,
32 SECTION 55, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
33 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 1. (a) A person who knowingly or intentionally:
34 (1) forcibly resists, obstructs, or interferes with a law enforcement
35 officer or a person assisting the officer while the officer is
36 lawfully engaged in the execution of the officer's duties;
37 (2) forcibly resists, obstructs, or interferes with the authorized
38 service or execution of a civil or criminal process or order of a
39 court; or
40 (3) flees from a law enforcement officer after the officer has, by
41 visible or audible means, including operation of the law
42 enforcement officer's siren or emergency lights, identified himself
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 8
1 or herself and ordered the person to stop;
2 commits resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor, except as
3 provided in subsection (c).
4 (b) A person who, having been denied entry by a firefighter, an
5 emergency medical services provider, or a law enforcement officer,
6 knowingly or intentionally enters an area that is marked off with barrier
7 tape or other physical barriers, commits interfering with public safety,
8 a Class B misdemeanor, except as provided in subsection (c) or (k). (j).
9 (c) The offense under subsection (a) or (b) is a:
10 (1) Level 6 felony if:
11 (A) the person uses a vehicle to commit the offense; or
12 (B) while committing the offense, the person:
13 (i) draws or uses a deadly weapon;
14 (ii) inflicts bodily injury on or otherwise causes bodily injury
15 to another person; or
16 (iii) operates a vehicle in a manner that creates a substantial
17 risk of bodily injury to another person;
18 (2) Level 5 felony if:
19 (A) while committing the offense, the person operates a
20 vehicle in a manner that causes serious bodily injury to another
21 person; or
22 (B) the person uses a vehicle to commit the offense and the
23 person has a prior unrelated conviction under this section
24 involving the use of a vehicle in the commission of the
25 offense;
26 (3) Level 3 felony if, while committing the offense, the person
27 operates a vehicle in a manner that causes the death or
28 catastrophic injury of another person; and
29 (4) Level 2 felony if, while committing any offense described in
30 subsection (a), the person operates a vehicle in a manner that
31 causes the death or catastrophic injury of a firefighter, an
32 emergency medical services provider, or a law enforcement
33 officer while the firefighter, emergency medical services provider,
34 or law enforcement officer is engaged in the firefighter's,
35 emergency medical services provider's, or officer's official duties.
36 (d) The offense under subsection (a) is a Level 6 felony if, while
37 committing an offense under:
38 (1) subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2), the person:
39 (A) creates a substantial risk of bodily injury to the person or
40 another person; and
41 (B) has two (2) or more prior unrelated convictions under
42 subsection (a); or
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 9
1 (2) subsection (a)(3), the person has two (2) or more prior
2 unrelated convictions under subsection (a).
3 (e) If a person uses a vehicle to commit a felony offense under
4 subsection (c)(1)(B), (c)(2), (c)(3), or (c)(4), as part of the criminal
5 penalty imposed for the offense, the court shall impose a minimum
6 executed sentence of at least:
7 (1) thirty (30) days, if the person does not have a prior unrelated
8 conviction under this section;
9 (2) one hundred eighty (180) days, if the person has one (1) prior
10 unrelated conviction under this section; or
11 (3) one (1) year, if the person has two (2) or more prior unrelated
12 convictions under this section.
13 (f) Notwithstanding IC 35-50-2-2.2 and IC 35-50-3-1, the mandatory
14 minimum sentence imposed under subsection (e) may not be
15 suspended.
16 (g) If a person is convicted of an offense involving the use of a
17 motor vehicle under:
18 (1) subsection (c)(1)(A), if the person exceeded the speed limit by
19 at least twenty (20) miles per hour while committing the offense;
20 (2) subsection (c)(2); or
21 (3) subsection (c)(3);
22 the court may notify the bureau of motor vehicles to suspend or revoke
23 the person's driver's license in accordance with IC 9-30-4-6.1(b) for the
24 period described in IC 9-30-4-6.1(d)(1) or IC 9-30-4-6.1(d)(2). The
25 court shall inform the bureau whether the person has been sentenced
26 to a term of incarceration. At the time of conviction, the court may
27 obtain the person's current driver's license and return the license to the
28 bureau of motor vehicles.
29 (h) A person may not be charged or convicted of a crime under
30 subsection (a)(3) if the law enforcement officer is a school resource
31 officer acting in the officer's capacity as a school resource officer.
32 (i) (h) A person who commits an offense described in subsection (c)
33 commits a separate offense for each person whose bodily injury,
34 serious bodily injury, catastrophic injury, or death is caused by a
35 violation of subsection (c).
36 (j) (i) A court may order terms of imprisonment imposed on a
37 person convicted of more than one (1) offense described in subsection
38 (c) to run consecutively. Consecutive terms of imprisonment imposed
39 under this subsection are not subject to the sentencing restrictions set
40 forth in IC 35-50-1-2(c) through IC 35-50-1-2(d).
41 (k) (j) As used in this subsection, "family member" means a child,
42 grandchild, parent, grandparent, or spouse of the person. It is a defense
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 10
1 to a prosecution under subsection (b) that the person reasonably
2 believed that the person's family member:
3 (1) was in the marked off area; and
4 (2) had suffered bodily injury or was at risk of suffering bodily
5 injury;
6 if the person is not charged as a defendant in connection with the
7 offense, if applicable, that caused the area to be secured by barrier tape
8 or other physical barriers.
9 SECTION 8. IC 36-2-16-4, AS AMENDED BY P.L.233-2015,
10 SECTION 337, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS
11 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 4. (a) Each of the following county
12 officers is entitled to appoint one (1) first or chief deputy, and also may
13 appoint the number of other full-time or part-time deputies and
14 employees authorized by the county fiscal body:
15 (1) The county auditor.
16 (2) The county treasurer.
17 (3) The county recorder.
18 (4) The county sheriff.
19 (b) This subsection applies only to a county containing a
20 consolidated city. Notwithstanding IC 5-2-1-15 or any other
21 provision of law, if the requirements of IC 5-2-1-21(c)(2) have been
22 fulfilled, after January 1, 2026, a sheriff's deputy appointed by the
23 sheriff of a county containing a consolidated city may not attend
24 basic training at the Indiana law enforcement academy.
25 SECTION 9. IC 36-8-2.1-3, AS ADDED BY P.L.271-2019,
26 SECTION 1, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
27 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 3. As used in this chapter, "police department"
28 means a police department established by:
29 (1) a county;
30 (2) a city;
31 (3) a town;
32 (4) the state;
33 (5) a school corporation (as described under IC 20-26-16); or
34 (6) a postsecondary educational institution (as described under
35 IC 21-17-5-2 or IC 21-39-4-2); or
36 (7) a hospital under IC 16-18-4.
37 SECTION 10. [EFFECTIVE UPON PASSAGE] (a) The legislative
38 council is urged to assign to the appropriate interim study
39 committee the task of studying the following:
40 (1) Whether a sheriff's office located in a county containing a
41 consolidated city should operate under a merit system.
42 (2) Whether IC 36-3-1-5.1 should be modified or repealed.
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 11
1 (b) This SECTION expires December 31, 2025.
2 SECTION 11. An emergency is declared for this act.
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 12
COMMITTEE REPORT
Mr. President: The Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal
Law, to which was referred Senate Bill No. 525, has had the same
under consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the
Senate with the recommendation that said bill DO PASS.
(Reference is to SB 525 as introduced.)
FREEMAN, Chairperson
Committee Vote: Yeas 7, Nays 2
_____
SENATE MOTION
Mr. President: I move that Senate Bill 525 be amended to read as
follows:
Page 1, line 3, after "Sec. 4." insert "(a)".
Page 1, line 10, delete "Sheriff deputies may be appointed only".
Page 1, delete line 11, begin a new paragraph and insert:
"(b) This subsection applies only to a county containing a
consolidated city. Notwithstanding IC 5-2-1-15 or any other
provision of law, a sheriff's deputy appointed by the sheriff of a
county containing a consolidated city may not:
(1) attend; or
(2) be accepted for training at;
the Indiana law enforcement academy.
(c) The law enforcement training board created by IC 5-2-1-3
shall certify one (1) law enforcement academy, located in a county
containing a consolidated city, to be used by the Marion County
sheriff's office and the Indianapolis metropolitan police
department.
(d) A Marion County sheriff's deputy may only attend the law
enforcement academy described in subsection (c) if the deputy is
subject to a merit board established by the governing body of the
consolidated city.".
Renumber all SECTIONS consecutively.
(Reference is to SB 525 as printed February 12, 2025.)
FREEMAN
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 13
COMMITTEE REPORT
Mr. Speaker: Your Committee on Veterans Affairs and Public
Safety, to which was referred Senate Bill 525, has had the same under
consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the House with
the recommendation that said bill be amended as follows:
Delete the title and insert the following:
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
public safety.
Page 1, between the enacting clause and line 1, begin a new
paragraph and insert:
"SECTION 1. IC 5-2-1-2, AS AMENDED BY P.L.173-2023,
SECTION 1, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 2. For the purposes of this chapter, and unless the
context clearly denotes otherwise, the following definitions apply
throughout this chapter:
(1) "Law enforcement officer" means an appointed officer or
employee hired by and on the payroll of the state, any of the
state's political subdivisions, a hospital police department (as
described in IC 16-18-4), a tribal police officer (as described in
IC 5-2-24), or a public or private postsecondary educational
institution whose board of trustees has established a police
department under IC 21-17-5-2 or IC 21-39-4-2 who is granted
lawful authority to enforce all or some of the penal laws of the
state of Indiana and who possesses, with respect to those laws, the
power to effect arrests for offenses committed in the officer's or
employee's presence. The term includes a special officer
employed by a consolidated city full time after June 30, 2023,
to perform park ranger duties or a deputy of the Marion
County sheriff's office, excluding jail deputies appointed
under IC 36-8-10-10.6(f). However, except as otherwise
provided in this chapter, the following are expressly excluded
from the term "law enforcement officer" for the purposes of this
chapter:
(A) A constable.
(B) A special officer whose powers and duties are described
in IC 36-8-3-7 or a special deputy whose powers and duties are
described in IC 36-8-10-10.6. However, a special officer
employed by a consolidated city full time after June 30, 2023,
to perform park ranger duties is a law enforcement officer for
the purposes of this chapter.
(C) A county police reserve officer who receives compensation
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 14
for lake patrol duties under IC 36-8-3-20(f)(3).
(D) A conservation reserve officer who receives compensation
for lake patrol duties under IC 14-9-8-27.
(E) An employee of the gaming commission whose powers
and duties are described in IC 4-32.3-9.
(F) A correctional police officer described in IC 11-8-9.
For purposes of section 12.5 of this chapter, the term includes a
police reserve officer (as described in IC 36-8-3-20), even if the
police reserve officer works as a volunteer.
(2) "Board" means the law enforcement training board created by
this chapter.
(3) "Executive training program" means the police chief executive
training program developed by the board under section 9 of this
chapter.
(4) "Law enforcement training council" means one (1) of the
confederations of law enforcement agencies recognized by the
board and organized for the sole purpose of sharing training,
instructors, and related resources.
(5) "Training regarding the lawful use of force" includes
classroom and skills training in the proper application of hand to
hand defensive tactics, use of firearms, and other methods of:
(A) overcoming unlawful resistance; or
(B) countering other action that threatens the safety of the
public or a law enforcement officer.
(6) "Hiring or appointing authority" means:
(A) the chief executive officer, board, or other entity of a
police department or agency with authority to appoint and hire
law enforcement officers; or
(B) the governor, mayor, board, or other entity with the
authority to appoint a chief executive officer of a police
department or agency.
(7) "Crisis intervention team" refers to a local coalition with a
goal of improving the manner in which law enforcement and the
community respond to crisis situations in which an individual is
experiencing a mental health or addictive disorder crisis.
(8) "Law enforcement agency" means a state agency, a political
subdivision, a hospital police department (as described in
IC 16-18-4), a tribal law enforcement agency (as described in
IC 5-2-24), or a public or private postsecondary educational
institution that employs and has on its payroll a law enforcement
officer, including individuals described in subdivision (1)(A)
through (1)(F).
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 15
SECTION 2. IC 5-2-1-21 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
UPON PASSAGE]: Sec. 21. (a) This section applies to a county
containing a consolidated city.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, all deputies, excluding
reserve deputies and jail deputies appointed under
IC 36-8-10-10.6(f), employed by the Marion County sheriff's office
on December 31, 2025, shall be certified by the board as Tier II law
enforcement officers, unless the deputy is otherwise certified as a
Tier I law enforcement officer. The Marion County sheriff's office
shall submit to the board a list of those deputies who have
successfully completed at least the minimum basic training
requirements at the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy. The
board shall transmit certificates of the certifications and other
related documentation to the Marion County sheriff's office not
later than March 1, 2026.
(c) Before January 1, 2026, the following actions must be taken:
(1) The Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy shall adopt
a Tier I basic training curriculum as approved by the board
under section 9(d) of this chapter.
(2) Subject to subdivision (1), the board shall approve the
Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy as a Tier 1 basic
training academy governed by the requirements established
by the board.
(d) If the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy does not
meet the requirements set forth in subsection (c)(1) before January
1, 2026, the Marion County Sheriff's Office Academy may not
provide basic training to any deputy until it becomes compliant.
During that time, any deputy, excluding reserve deputies and jail
deputies appointed under IC 36-8-10-10.6(f), hired by the Marion
County sheriff's office shall be accepted for basic training at the
Indiana law enforcement academy in the same manner as other
law enforcement agencies.
SECTION 3. IC 5-10-10-4, AS AMENDED BY P.L.119-2022,
SECTION 4, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 4. As used in this chapter, "public safety officer"
means any of the following:
(1) A state police officer.
(2) A county sheriff.
(3) A county police officer.
(4) A correctional officer. correctional professional, which
includes a correctional officer, correctional police officer, or
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 16
any employee of the department of correction.
(5) An excise police officer.
(6) A county police reserve officer.
(7) A city or town police reserve officer.
(8) A conservation enforcement officer.
(9) A town marshal.
(10) A deputy town marshal.
(11) A probation officer.
(12) A state educational institution police officer appointed under
IC 21-39-4.
(13) A police officer whose employer purchases coverage under
section 4.5 of this chapter.
(14) An emergency medical services provider (as defined in
IC 16-41-10-1) who is:
(A) employed by a political subdivision (as defined in
IC 36-1-2-13); and
(B) not eligible for a special death benefit under IC 36-8-6-20,
IC 36-8-7-26, IC 36-8-7.5-22, or IC 36-8-8-20.
(15) A firefighter who is employed by the fire department of a
state university.
(16) A firefighter whose employer purchases coverage under
section 4.5 of this chapter.
(17) A member of a consolidated law enforcement department
established under IC 36-3-1-5.1.
(18) A gaming agent of the Indiana gaming commission.
(19) A person who is:
(A) employed by a political subdivision (as defined in
IC 36-1-2-13); and
(B) appointed as a special deputy under IC 36-8-10-10.6.
(20) A school corporation police officer appointed under
IC 20-26-16.
(21) A gaming control officer of the Indiana gaming commission.
(22) An eligible chaplain who meets the requirements of section
4.7 of this chapter.
(23) A community corrections officer.
(24) An eligible emergency medical services provider who meets
the requirements of section 4.8 of this chapter.
(25) An emergency medical services provider whose employer
purchases coverage under section 4.9 of this chapter.
(26) An emergency management worker (as defined in
IC 10-14-3-3), including:
(A) an employee of the Indiana department of homeland
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 17
security who is working in an official capacity as an employee
during a disaster or an emergency response; or
(B) an employee of a political subdivision who is employed as:
(i) an emergency management director;
(ii) an assistant emergency management director; or
(iii) a deputy emergency management director;
for the political subdivision.
(27) A division fire investigator (as described in IC 22-14-2-8).
(28) A school resource officer (as defined in IC 20-26-18.2-1)
who is not otherwise entitled to a line of duty benefit under:
(A) IC 36-8-6-20;
(B) IC 36-8-7.5-22; or
(C) IC 36-8-8-20;
while acting as a school resource officer.
(29) A county coroner.
(30) A deputy county coroner.
SECTION 4. IC 5-10-13-2, AS AMENDED BY P.L.178-2022(ts),
SECTION 4, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "employee" means an
individual who:
(1) is employed full time by the state or a political subdivision of
the state as:
(A) a member of a fire department (as defined in IC 36-8-1-8);
(B) an emergency medical services provider (as defined in
IC 16-41-10-1);
(C) a member of a police department (as defined in
IC 36-8-1-9);
(D) a correctional officer (as defined in IC 5-10-10-1.5);
correctional professional, which includes a correctional
officer (as defined in IC 5-10-10-1.5), correctional police
officer, or any employee of the department of correction;
(E) a state police officer;
(F) a county police officer;
(G) a county sheriff;
(H) an excise police officer;
(I) a conservation enforcement officer;
(J) a town marshal;
(K) a deputy town marshal;
(L) a department of homeland security fire investigator;
(M) a member of a consolidated law enforcement department
established under IC 36-3-1-5.1;
(N) a county coroner; or
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 18
(O) a deputy county coroner;
(2) in the course of the individual's employment is at high risk for
occupational exposure to an exposure risk disease; and
(3) is not employed elsewhere in a similar capacity.
SECTION 5. IC 20-26-18.2-3, AS ADDED BY P.L.172-2013,
SECTION 7, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 3. (a) A school resource officer may:
(1) make an arrest;
(2) conduct a search or a seizure of a person or property using the
reasonable suspicion standard;
(3) carry a firearm on or off school property; and
(4) pursue a person who flees from a school resource officer
after the school resource officer has, by visible or audible
means, including the operation of the school resource officer's
siren or emergency lights, identified themself and ordered the
person to stop; and
(4) (5) exercise other police powers with respect to the
enforcement of Indiana laws.
(b) A school resource officer who has completed Tier I or Tier II
basic training requirements established by the law enforcement
training board under IC 5-2-1-9 has statewide jurisdiction. in every
county where the school corporation or charter school engaging the
officer operates a school or where the school corporation or charter
school's students reside. This subsection does not restrict the
jurisdiction that a school resource officer may possess due to the
officer's employment by a law enforcement agency.
SECTION 6. IC 35-42-2-2, AS AMENDED BY P.L.184-2019,
SECTION 11, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 2. (a) A person who recklessly, knowingly, or
intentionally performs an act that creates a substantial risk of bodily
injury to another person commits criminal recklessness. Except as
provided in subsection (b), criminal recklessness is a Class B
misdemeanor. Class A misdemeanor.
(b) The offense of criminal recklessness as defined in subsection (a)
is:
(1) a Level 6 felony if:
(A) it is committed while armed with a deadly weapon; or
(B) the person committed aggressive driving (as defined in
IC 9-21-8-55) that results in serious bodily injury to another
person; or
(2) a Level 5 felony if:
(A) it is committed by shooting a firearm into an occupied
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 19
motor vehicle, an inhabited dwelling, or other another
building or place where people are likely to gather; be
present; or
(B) the person committed aggressive driving (as defined in
IC 9-21-8-55) that results in the death or catastrophic injury of
another person.
(c) A person who:
(1) is a passenger in a vehicle whose operator has committed
an offense under subsection (a) or (b); and
(2) points a firearm at another person, a motor vehicle, a
dwelling, or another building or place where people are likely
to be present;
commits criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony. It is not a defense
to a prosecution under this section that the operator of the motor
vehicle has not been charged with or convicted of an offense under
this section.
SECTION 7. IC 35-44.1-3-1, AS AMENDED BY P.L.141-2024,
SECTION 55, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 1. (a) A person who knowingly or intentionally:
(1) forcibly resists, obstructs, or interferes with a law enforcement
officer or a person assisting the officer while the officer is
lawfully engaged in the execution of the officer's duties;
(2) forcibly resists, obstructs, or interferes with the authorized
service or execution of a civil or criminal process or order of a
court; or
(3) flees from a law enforcement officer after the officer has, by
visible or audible means, including operation of the law
enforcement officer's siren or emergency lights, identified himself
or herself and ordered the person to stop;
commits resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor, except as
provided in subsection (c).
(b) A person who, having been denied entry by a firefighter, an
emergency medical services provider, or a law enforcement officer,
knowingly or intentionally enters an area that is marked off with barrier
tape or other physical barriers, commits interfering with public safety,
a Class B misdemeanor, except as provided in subsection (c) or (k). (j).
(c) The offense under subsection (a) or (b) is a:
(1) Level 6 felony if:
(A) the person uses a vehicle to commit the offense; or
(B) while committing the offense, the person:
(i) draws or uses a deadly weapon;
(ii) inflicts bodily injury on or otherwise causes bodily injury
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 20
to another person; or
(iii) operates a vehicle in a manner that creates a substantial
risk of bodily injury to another person;
(2) Level 5 felony if:
(A) while committing the offense, the person operates a
vehicle in a manner that causes serious bodily injury to another
person; or
(B) the person uses a vehicle to commit the offense and the
person has a prior unrelated conviction under this section
involving the use of a vehicle in the commission of the
offense;
(3) Level 3 felony if, while committing the offense, the person
operates a vehicle in a manner that causes the death or
catastrophic injury of another person; and
(4) Level 2 felony if, while committing any offense described in
subsection (a), the person operates a vehicle in a manner that
causes the death or catastrophic injury of a firefighter, an
emergency medical services provider, or a law enforcement
officer while the firefighter, emergency medical services provider,
or law enforcement officer is engaged in the firefighter's,
emergency medical services provider's, or officer's official duties.
(d) The offense under subsection (a) is a Level 6 felony if, while
committing an offense under:
(1) subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2), the person:
(A) creates a substantial risk of bodily injury to the person or
another person; and
(B) has two (2) or more prior unrelated convictions under
subsection (a); or
(2) subsection (a)(3), the person has two (2) or more prior
unrelated convictions under subsection (a).
(e) If a person uses a vehicle to commit a felony offense under
subsection (c)(1)(B), (c)(2), (c)(3), or (c)(4), as part of the criminal
penalty imposed for the offense, the court shall impose a minimum
executed sentence of at least:
(1) thirty (30) days, if the person does not have a prior unrelated
conviction under this section;
(2) one hundred eighty (180) days, if the person has one (1) prior
unrelated conviction under this section; or
(3) one (1) year, if the person has two (2) or more prior unrelated
convictions under this section.
(f) Notwithstanding IC 35-50-2-2.2 and IC 35-50-3-1, the mandatory
minimum sentence imposed under subsection (e) may not be
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 21
suspended.
(g) If a person is convicted of an offense involving the use of a
motor vehicle under:
(1) subsection (c)(1)(A), if the person exceeded the speed limit by
at least twenty (20) miles per hour while committing the offense;
(2) subsection (c)(2); or
(3) subsection (c)(3);
the court may notify the bureau of motor vehicles to suspend or revoke
the person's driver's license in accordance with IC 9-30-4-6.1(b) for the
period described in IC 9-30-4-6.1(d)(1) or IC 9-30-4-6.1(d)(2). The
court shall inform the bureau whether the person has been sentenced
to a term of incarceration. At the time of conviction, the court may
obtain the person's current driver's license and return the license to the
bureau of motor vehicles.
(h) A person may not be charged or convicted of a crime under
subsection (a)(3) if the law enforcement officer is a school resource
officer acting in the officer's capacity as a school resource officer.
(i) (h) A person who commits an offense described in subsection (c)
commits a separate offense for each person whose bodily injury,
serious bodily injury, catastrophic injury, or death is caused by a
violation of subsection (c).
(j) (i) A court may order terms of imprisonment imposed on a
person convicted of more than one (1) offense described in subsection
(c) to run consecutively. Consecutive terms of imprisonment imposed
under this subsection are not subject to the sentencing restrictions set
forth in IC 35-50-1-2(c) through IC 35-50-1-2(d).
(k) (j) As used in this subsection, "family member" means a child,
grandchild, parent, grandparent, or spouse of the person. It is a defense
to a prosecution under subsection (b) that the person reasonably
believed that the person's family member:
(1) was in the marked off area; and
(2) had suffered bodily injury or was at risk of suffering bodily
injury;
if the person is not charged as a defendant in connection with the
offense, if applicable, that caused the area to be secured by barrier tape
or other physical barriers.".
Page 1, line 13, after "law" delete "," and insert ", if the
requirements of IC 5-2-1-21(c)(2) have been fulfilled, after January
1, 2026,".
Page 1, line 14, delete ":" and insert "attend basic training at".
Page 1, delete lines 15 through 16.
Page 1, run in lines 14 through 17.
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87 22
Page 2, delete lines 1 through 9, begin a new paragraph and insert:
"SECTION 9. IC 36-8-2.1-3, AS ADDED BY P.L.271-2019,
SECTION 1, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 3. As used in this chapter, "police department"
means a police department established by:
(1) a county;
(2) a city;
(3) a town;
(4) the state;
(5) a school corporation (as described under IC 20-26-16); or
(6) a postsecondary educational institution (as described under
IC 21-17-5-2 or IC 21-39-4-2); or
(7) a hospital under IC 16-18-4.
SECTION 10. [EFFECTIVE UPON PASSAGE] (a) The legislative
council is urged to assign to the appropriate interim study
committee the task of studying the following:
(1) Whether a sheriff's office located in a county containing a
consolidated city should operate under a merit system.
(2) Whether IC 36-3-1-5.1 should be modified or repealed.
(b) This SECTION expires December 31, 2025.
SECTION 11. An emergency is declared for this act.".
Renumber all SECTIONS consecutively.
and when so amended that said bill do pass.
(Reference is to SB 525 as reprinted February 19, 2025.)
BARTELS
Committee Vote: yeas 11, nays 0.
ES 525—LS 7101/DI 87