Bill > HB1541

This bill authorizes qualified companies to establish and maintain their own police forces, known as company police agencies, which can exercise law enforcement authority specifically within the confines of the company's properties. To qualify, a company must employ at least 3,000 individuals annually and have at least 3 million visitors to its properties each year. These company police officers will be vested with full police powers, including enforcing laws, making arrests, carrying firearms, conducting investigations, and providing emergency response, but their jurisdiction is limited to company-owned or controlled property unless otherwise agreed upon with other agencies. The bill also mandates that these officers must be certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission, meet all training requirements for full-time law enforcement officers, maintain certifications in CPR and first aid, and undergo specialized training in areas like de-escalation and crowd control. Furthermore, company police agencies will be considered "governmental entities" for the purposes of the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act, meaning they will have qualified immunity when acting within the scope of their official duties enforcing state criminal laws, similar to other law enforcement officers, but will be subject to the Tort Liability Act for enforcing company rules that are not state laws.

Government Affairs

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1541&ga=114