Bill > HB66

This bill requires sheriffs and municipal police officers in Mississippi to have at least one less-lethal force option available while on duty, such as a stun gun, baton, or pepper spray. The bill amends two sections of the Mississippi Code of 1972, specifically Sections 21-21-3 and 19-25-13, to mandate that municipal governing authorities provide police officers with such equipment and that county budgets for sheriff's offices include funding for these less-lethal force options. Less-lethal force options are tools designed to subdue or control a person with reduced risk of causing fatal injury, providing law enforcement with alternatives to more extreme measures like firearms. The bill aims to enhance officer and public safety by ensuring that law enforcement personnel have non-lethal methods of intervention available during potentially dangerous encounters. The new requirements will take effect on July 1, 2025, giving municipalities and county sheriff's offices time to budget for and acquire the required equipment.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB0066.xml