Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB729 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0729
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 729
8	8	E4, L1 5lr2711
9	9	CF 5lr2710
10	10	By: Charles County Senators
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 27, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Special Police Officers – County Government – Protection of Employees and 2
19	19	Public Officials 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of authorizing a county to apply for the appointment of special police 4
22	22	officers in order to protect the county’s employees and public officials while present 5
23	23	in the county; authorizing a certain special police officer employed by a county to 6
24	24	exercise the powers of a police officer under certain circumstances; and generally 7
25	25	relating to special police officers employed by a county. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Public Safety 10
29	29	Section 3–303 and 3–307 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
35	35
36	36	Article – Public Safety 16
37	37
38	38	3–303. 17
39	39
40	40	(a) The following entities may apply for the appointment of special police officers 18
41	41	for the following purposes: 19
42	42
43	43	(1) a municipal corporation, county, or other governmental body of the 20
44	44	State, in order to protect property owned, leased, or regularly used by the governmental 21
45	45	body or any of its units; 22
46	46	2 SENATE BILL 729
47	47
48	48
49	49	(2) A COUNTY, IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE COUNTY ’S EMPLOYEES 1
50	50	AND PUBLIC OFFICIALS WHILE PRESENT IN THE COUNTY; 2
51	51
52	52	(3) another state, or subdivision or unit of another state, that has an 3
53	53	interest in property located wholly or partly in this State, in order to protect the property; 4
54	54
55	55	[(3)] (4) a college, university, or public school system in the State, in order 5
56	56	to protect its property or students; or 6
57	57
58	58	[(4)] (5) a person that exists and functions for a legal business purpose, 7
59	59	in order to protect its business property. 8
60	60
61	61	(b) The applicant for a commission shall be at least 18 years old. 9
62	62
63	63	(c) (1) This subsection does not apply to an applicant for an initial commission 10
64	64	who, within 5 years prior to application, has: 11
65	65
66	66	(i) completed a basic training course for police officers approved by 12
67	67	the Secretary in consultation with the Maryland Police Training and Standards 13
68	68	Commission; 14
69	69
70	70	(ii) completed a basic training course for police officers similar to the 15
71	71	course described in item (i) of this paragraph in another state or for the federal government; 16
72	72
73	73	(iii) separated from a law enforcement agency in good standing; or 17
74	74
75	75	(iv) completed training approved by the Maryland Police Training 18
76	76	and Standards Commission for a special police officer at a State institution of higher 19
77	77	education. 20
78	78
79	79	(2) An applicant for an initial commission shall complete a training course 21
80	80	approved by the Secretary in consultation with the Maryland Police Training and 22
81	81	Standards Commission consisting of at least 80 hours of instruction, including instruction 23
82	82	on: 24
83	83
84	84	(i) criminal law; 25
85	85
86	86	(ii) constitutional procedural requirements relating to search, 26
87	87	seizure, and arrest; and 27
88	88
89	89	(iii) the appropriate use of force. 28
90	90
91	91	3–307. 29
92	92
93	93	(a) Each special police officer shall protect and preserve peace and good order on 30
94	94	the property described in the application for the commission. 31 SENATE BILL 729 3
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98	(b) A special police officer may: 1
99	99
100	100	(1) arrest individuals who trespass or commit offenses on the property 2
101	101	described in the application for the commission; 3
102	102
103	103	(2) exercise the powers of a police officer on the property described in the 4
104	104	application for the commission; 5
105	105
106	106	(3) exercise the powers of a police officer in a county or municipal 6
107	107	corporation of the State in connection with the care, custody, and protection of other 7
108	108	property of the entity that requested the appointment of the special police officer or other 8
109	109	property, real or personal, for which the entity has assumed an obligation to maintain or 9
110	110	protect; [and] 10
111	111
112	112	(4) direct and control traffic on public highways and roads in the immediate 11
113	113	vicinity of the property described in the application for the commission in order to facilitate 12
114	114	the orderly movement of traffic to and from the property, if the Secretary approves of this 13
115	115	activity in advance; AND 14
116	116
117	117	(5) IF EMPLOYED BY A COU NTY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING 15
118	118	PROTECTION TO THE CO UNTY’S EMPLOYEES AND PUBL IC OFFICIALS, EXERCISE THE 16
119	119	POWERS OF A POLICE O FFICER IN CONNECTION WITH AND NECESSARY F OR 17
120	120	PROTECTING THE EMPLO YEES AND OFFICIALS W HOM THE SPECIAL POLI CE OFFICER 18
121	121	IS ASSIGNED TO PROTE CT. 19
122	122
123	123	(c) (1) A special police officer may make an arrest or issue a traffic citation for 20
124	124	a violation of the Maryland Vehicle Law or any other State or local traffic law or regulation 21
125	125	only if the special police officer: 22
126	126
127	127	(i) has a probationary or permanent appointment as a security 23
128	128	officer or is a member of an industrial police force; and 24
129	129
130	130	(ii) has completed the basic training course for police officers as 25
131	131	established by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission in accordance 26
132	132	with Subtitle 2 of this title. 27
133	133
134	134	(2) A special police officer may exercise the power described in paragraph 28
135	135	(1) of this subsection only on the property of the special police officer’s employer as described 29
136	136	in the application for the commission, unless the special police officer is in active pursuit 30
137	137	for the purpose of immediate apprehension. 31
138	138
139	139	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 32
140	140	October 1, 2025. 33
141	141