News
Bill To Require Open Records Of Police Officers Working In Private Capacity
By: Statehouse News Bureau
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There’s bipartisan support for a newly introduced bill that would make public any arrests made by a peace officer working for as part of a private security force. Republican State Representative Michael Henne says when state trained police officers make arrests, it should be a matter of public record.
"These private police officers have gone through the same training, they have the ability to carry a gun," Henne said. "They have the same authority to make arrests in search and detaining people yet they are not subject to the same public records as the publicly employed peace keepers.
Henne and Democratic State Representative Heather Bischoff are working through the bill right now and think there is support for it. The lawmakers say they are proposing this bill because of a situation that was recently brought to light by students at Otterbein University. Those students have had to sue to get records of arrests made my peace officers.