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Alabama House committee approves bills expanding police powers

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alabamareflector.com – Ralph Chapoco – 2025-03-04 07:01:00

Alabama House committee approves bills expanding police powers

by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
March 4, 2025

The Alabama House Public Safety and Homeland Security committee last week approved a series of measures giving law enforcement additional powers over objections from Democrats about potential abuse.

The three bills passed on Wednesday allow police and sheriffs’ deputies to confiscate vehicles of those who drive without their driver’s licenses; require residents to divulge personal information while being questioned by law enforcement; and allows law enforcement to detain people for up to 24 hours on charges of resisting arrest.

Democrats expressed concerns with all the measures.

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“You got some hot-headed officers out there, and they demand too much for being a police officer in blue,” said Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville.

HB 296, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, allows law enforcement to hold people charged with resisting arrest for up to a day.  The three-page legislation offered few changes to the law except for adding the detention section.

“It is a growing problem, local law enforcement asked me to bring this,” Sells said. “It is getting to be more of a problem with people resisting arrest.”

HB 34, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, makes it unlawful for a person questioned by police in public to give a false date of birth to law enforcement when asked. It is currently illegal to provide a false name and address to law enforcement when asked. HB 34 adds a person’s birth date to the information that law enforcement can demand from people they encounter.

People who provide a false name, address or date of birth could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by one year in jail and a fine of up to $6,000.

In addition, Bolton’s legislation also makes it a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine, for a person to “knowingly refuse to give the law enforcement officer his or her name, address, date of birth, and an explanation of his or her actions.”

“The requirement to provide a person’s identification doesn’t cross over into the Miranda guidelines,” Bolton said. “When they start questioning them, asking them specific questions, it does, but simply identifying themselves is not covered by Miranda.”

HB 304, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville,  allows law enforcement to impound people’s vehicles if their driver’s licenses were revoked, suspended or expired for more than 180 days. It also establishes several fines and fees.

For people with driver’s licenses from another state that are not valid, law enforcement may levy a fine of $100 to $500 for the infraction, and $50 in court costs. The person’s driving privileges may also be suspended for an additional six months.

Money from the fines and fees goes to the Traffic Safety Trust Fund, the Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Fund and the police or sheriff’s department that made the arrest.

Democrats on the committee said the bills amounted to overreach.

“There is an issue between policing and community in this state, and in the nation, what we are doing is making it even worse by passing these types of bills,” Jackson said.

Rep. Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika, said that the bills expand police powers to the point that it infringes on the public’s rights.

“What right does the citizen have in this whole thing?” Gray said. “It seems like you are giving law enforcement a lot of autonomy to do whatever they want. If I am a citizen, and I am not doing anything … what rights do I have as a citizen with this bill?”

Rep. Tim Wadsworth, R-Arley, was the lone Republican on the committee to express any concerns with any of the legislation.

“By doing this bill, what we are going to end up doing is put people in a place where they are going to lose their vehicle and they will end up losing their job, even losing their house as a result of this,” he said. “I have been involved where, if you don’t put a $2 ticket in, they tow your vehicle and charge you $200. With all these fees, once you get into the system, you can’t get it back.”

Lawmakers are also considering legislation that gives police and deputies, as well as corrections officers and tactical medics, enhanced protection against criminal prosecutions and civil litigation that people may file for alleged misconduct.

Republican lawmakers decided to make crime their top priority for the 2025 legislative session after Gov. Kay Ivey announced in a news conference that she is supporting several bills aimed at addressing public safety, particularly violent crime.

Many of the proposals she wants to adopt focus on enhancing police powers, from providing additional benefits and legal protections to assist with recruitment and retention to enhancing penalties for specific crimes that could exacerbate prison overcrowding.

Democrats have proposed a series of measures, including bills to make possession of Glock switches — which rapidly increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons — a state crime, and require safe storage of firearms in homes with children. Thus far, the Republican supermajority has stalled the bills sponsored by Democrats. The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee has rejected the safe storage measure. A Republican-version of the Glock switch ban is expected to be in committee on Wednesday.

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Alabama Ethics Commission: DAs can do jobs outside official working hours

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alabamareflector.com – Ralph Chapoco – 2025-08-06 14:58:00


On August 6, 2025, the Alabama Ethics Commission unanimously approved an advisory opinion permitting district attorneys to hold compensated jobs outside their official working hours, provided they are not called to duty during those times. The decision aligns with an Alabama Attorney General’s Office opinion stating that district attorneys and assistants are on call 24/7 but only considered working when actively summoned. Assistant general counsel Brian Paterson emphasized that outside regular hours is not considered official work time under ethics rule 5-C, which prohibits public officials from using their position for private gain. This ruling overturns a 1998 opinion that restricted outside employment for police chiefs.


by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
August 6, 2025

The Alabama Ethics Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to adopt an advisory opinion allowing district attorneys to be compensated for another job done outside working hours for their public work.

Staff applied an advisory opinion issued by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office that stated that while district attorneys and assistant district attorneys are on call at all hours, they are not considered working unless they are summoned to work in their official capacity.

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“We concur with that opinion and do not consider time outside of regular business hours as time for the purposes of 5-C,” said Brian Paterson, assistant general counsel for the Alabama Ethics Commission.

5-C is a rule prohibits public service employees and officials from using public office for private gain.

The Alabama Ethics Commission in 1998 ruled that a police chief is always working and could not work anywhere while the individual is serving as police chief.

“This opinion would overrule that ‘98 opinion,” Paterson said.

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Alabama Ethics Commission: DAs can do jobs outside official working hours appeared first on alabamareflector.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article reports on the Alabama Ethics Commission’s unanimous decision to allow district attorneys to work outside their official hours without violating ethics rules. The language is neutral and factual, focusing on the technicalities of the advisory opinion and its implications without editorializing or framing the decision as politically charged. It simply explains the legal and procedural aspects of the ruling, citing relevant officials and previous decisions. There is no evident ideological slant or partisan framing, indicating balanced, straightforward reporting.

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News 5 NOW at 8:00am | August 6th, 2025

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www.youtube.com – WKRG – 2025-08-06 08:31:13

SUMMARY: A foggy Wednesday morning in Mobile begins with updates on local news. The historic Ace Theater is undergoing a $3.5 million renovation to become a jazz center by early 2027. A 9-person fight at a mobile home park was caught on video, involving a gun but no arrests yet. Brew y’all Coffee replaced its stolen and destroyed mobile trailer, recovering from a $40,000 loss. Mobile City Council candidate Samantha Ingram faces a lawsuit over residency claims, which she denies. Tonight in Daphne, a popular free weather radio programming event will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Finally, the VMAs are generating buzz, with Lady Gaga leading nominations.

Streaming on “News 5 Now”: A violent brawl caught on camera, a new look coming to an old Mobile theater, and our latest Weather Radio Programming event is today.

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Man jumps off Bayway after crashing into bridge

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www.youtube.com – WKRG – 2025-08-05 18:23:08

SUMMARY: A man jumped into the water from the Bayway bridge after crashing his car into the side early Wednesday morning. The driver, appearing uninjured and standing waist-deep about 500 yards from shore, was rescued quickly by first responders using a rope rescue due to rising tides. Firefighters, training twice yearly for such rescues, successfully brought him to safety and transported him to the hospital despite his initial reluctance to be rescued. The incident caused westbound traffic on I-10 to halt during rush hour. The driver’s reasons for jumping remain unclear.

A water rescue this morning on the Bayway at the height of rush hour.  A man jumped into the water after crashing his car into the side of the bridge.

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