Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins announced on his personal Facebook page that after discussions with Sen. Steve Meredith and County Attorney Jeremy Logsdon, the three architects of a bill expanding police powers have decided to pull the proposal from consideration by the Kentucky General Assembly.
The proposed bill stated that:
(1). Any peace officer may stop any person in a public place whom the officer encounters under circumstances which reasonably indicate that the person has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime, and the officer may demand: (a) 1. The person’s name, address, and date of birth; or 2. The person’s government-issued identification, if in the person’s possession; and (b) An explanation for the person’s actions. (2) Any person stopped under subsection (1) of this section who fails to identify himself or herself or explain the person’s actions to the satisfaction of the officer may be detained and further questioned and investigated by the peace officer for a period not to exceed two hours. (3) Detention under this section is not an arrest and shall not be recorded as an arrest in any official record. At the end of the detention period, the detained person shall be released or arrested and charged with a crime outside of this section.
Meredith, R-Leitchfield, noted that “over 30 states have similar laws (as it) provides an additional layer of protection for law enforcement and our citizens.”
The proposal, which Meredith filed on January 14, received considerable backlash on social media platforms. Meredith responded to the criticism by saying, “I thought this is what a senator was supposed to do. You file a bill, it is debated in committee and on the floor of each chamber, and if the majority agree, it becomes law; if not, it doesn’t.”
Chaffins’ announcement reads as follows:
I want to let everyone know that after many chats with Sen. Meredith and County Attorney Jeremy Logsdon we have decided to withdraw the “Stop and Identify” bill. This legislation was certainly taken out of context from the beginning and some of the media turned it into something it was not.
Contrary to some news reports, this bill never allowed an officer to just stop someone on the street and demand that they identify themselves. I am really not sure where they got that information.
With that said, I totally understand people’s concerns related to the initial wording of the bill. However, as a leader in law enforcement it is my job to look for ways to make the citizens of Grayson County safer. I saw a loophole in our system that allowed potentially dangerous criminals to walk our streets with little or no worries of being stopped by police even when our citizens call for police assistance. To me it was a no-brainer: When we receive a complaint on someone to simply be able to ask their name and check them for warrants and ensure they are not a sex offender preying on our kids. I WILL continue to look for ways make Grayson County safer for you and your children.
Thanks to those of you that respectfully voiced your opinion on this bill. Your voice was heard and your elected officials listened. We heard from people that were for it and against it. I still believe that the finalized wording of the bill would have no way infringed on our fourth amendment rights and would have better protected our citizens. With this legislation, the threshold for police to be able to identify an individual would have been much higher than the 30 other states that already have already had it upheld in their courts.
We at the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office will always treat those we encounter in our everyday duties like we would want our own family treated if they were stopped by other police officers.
Thank you for your continued support of our Grayson County law enforcement!
(Photo: GC Sheriff Norman Chaffins)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
