News from the Pennsylvania General Assembly
(AP)
TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008
DEPUTY POWERS: Sheriffs and deputies held a Capitol Rotunda rally to pressure the Legislature to expand their ability to investigate crimes and make arrests. A pair of state Supreme Court decisions issued in 2006 and 2007 have determined that sheriffs and deputies are not considered law enforcement officers and have limited their powers. Erie County Sheriff Bob Merski, president of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association, said the need to give them greater authority was particularly acute in rural areas, where municipal police departments are few and state troopers can have large territories to cover. Unions for municipal police and state troopers are opposed to the idea. “The self-imposed cataracts of some must be removed to see that we are all in this together,” said Jim Lee of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Pennsylvania. The bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee. (House Bill 466)
