Attn: LEOs...Jurisdictional Question

[E4 No More]

I left a police department in the suburbs of Kansas City, MO in 1993, and moved to Tennessee in 1998. At that time, your law enforcement authority only applied to the entity that you worked for, (town, city, county, etc): therefore you had no arrest authority outside of your jurisdiction. On the Kansas side of the border it was different. You had arrest authority anywhere in the state as long as you were a state certified LEO.

The question is: how is it here?

I ask because I see posts about LEO's that are clearly out of their area of responsibilities getting involved in areas that are not theirs. Example: The wildlife officer in a Hendersonville store calling the police about the member who was carrying open, and then getting involved in the Terry Stop by asking the member questions like his SSN. I'm asking for my own edification.

[Punisher84]

I ask because I see posts about LEO's that are clearly out of their area of responsibilities getting involved in areas that are not theirs. Example: The wildlife officer in a Hendersonville store calling the police about the member who was carrying open, and then getting involved in the Terry Stop by asking the member questions like his SSN. I'm asking for my own edification.

I don't recall the Wildlife guy asking the questions to the OP, he just called it in. I assume he called it in because he thought the guy was committing a crime.

Alot of this probably comes from TN's laws allowing citizen's arrests and such. I don't know exactly how it works for jurisdiction and arrest powers, but I know that TN does give citizen's the power to detain if they witness a misdeameanor or felony.

I'm guessing that if an officer is out of their jurisdiction they would only be making a citizen's arrest technically.

[E4 No More]

I don't recall the Wildlife guy asking the questions to the OP, he just called it in. I assume he called it in because he thought the guy was committing a crime.

Alot of this probably comes from TN's laws allowing citizen's arrests and such. I don't know exactly how it works for jurisdiction and arrest powers, but I know that TN does give citizen's the power to detain if they witness a misdeameanor or felony.

I'm guessing that if an officer is out of their jurisdiction they would only be making a citizen's arrest technically.

I thought the guy asked him for SSN among other things. The question is still valid. It'll keep me out of trouble.

[Punisher84]

I thought the guy asked him for SSN among other things. The question is still valid. It'll keep me out of trouble.

The actual LEO that showed up did. The wildlife guy just called it in.

[Guest clownsdd]

I also would think that the citizen's arrest or the right to detain a suspect would have something to do with it.

But then again, I have trouble keeping up with all the laws I've got to follow.

[Guest Mugster]

A peace officer in tn is a peace officer in tn. They have statewide mojo. However, they must get permission/notify whoever is the authority outside of their primary jurisdiction to do mojo. That is either the county sheriff or town police for incorporated cities.

[Guest marine77]

I left a police department in the suburbs of Kansas City, MO in 1993, and moved to Tennessee in 1998. At that time, your law enforcement authority only applied to the entity that you worked for, (town, city, county, etc): therefore you had no arrest authority outside of your jurisdiction. On the Kansas side of the border it was different. You had arrest authority anywhere in the state as long as you were a state certified LEO.

The question is: how is it here?

I ask because I see posts about LEO's that are clearly out of their area of responsibilities getting involved in areas that are not theirs. Example: The wildlife officer in a Hendersonville store calling the police about the member who was carrying open, and then getting involved in the Terry Stop by asking the member questions like his SSN. I'm asking for my own edification.

EGXACTLY

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND KNOW WHEN

AND WHEN NOT (ALMOST ALWAYS) TO TALK TO LEO LIKE THIS.

[Punisher84]

EGXACTLY

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND KNOW WHEN

AND WHEN NOT (ALMOST ALWAYS) TO TALK TO LEO LIKE THIS.

How is that helpful? Just because it's bold and in caps?

[Guest bkelm18]

How is that helpful? Just because it's bold and in caps?

Haven't been on the internet long have you? That's like rule #5. If its big and bold then its important.

[Punisher84]

Haven't been on the internet long have you? That's like rule #5. If its big and bold then its important.

My bad. All my rules have been replaced by NCIS Agent Gibbs' rules for life.

[E4 No More]

A peace officer in tn is a peace officer in tn. They have statewide mojo. However, they must get permission/notify whoever is the authority outside of their primary jurisdiction to do mojo. That is either the county sheriff or town police for incorporated cities.

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I would have hated to react to someone that I thought was incredibly over-stepping their bounds and be wrong. You could see how that'd present a problem.

I would not have played 20 questions with them once I demonstrated to them that I was breaking no laws.

[E4 No More]

I don't recall the Wildlife guy asking the questions to the OP, he just called it in. I assume he called it in because he thought the guy was committing a crime.

Alot of this probably comes from TN's laws allowing citizen's arrests and such. I don't know exactly how it works for jurisdiction and arrest powers, but I know that TN does give citizen's the power to detain if they witness a misdeameanor or felony.

I'm guessing that if an officer is out of their jurisdiction they would only be making a citizen's arrest technically.

Here's where I got that the wildlife officer was asking the questions: "So the park patrol pulled my wallet out,hands it to me,then I hand them my HCP,while the young rookie calls...."

Of course, the writer will not win a Pulitzer for the story.

[Punisher84]

Here's where I got that the wildlife officer was asking the questions: "So the park patrol pulled my wallet out,hands it to me,then I hand them my HCP,while the young rookie calls...."

Of course, the writer will not win a Pulitzer for the story.

Ah ok I gotcha. OK yea that's odd.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

A peace officer in tn is a peace officer in tn. They have statewide mojo. However, they must get permission/notify whoever is the authority outside of their primary jurisdiction to do mojo. That is either the county sheriff or town police for incorporated cities.

Really?

So I'll just call Ronal Serpas and go writing tickets in Nashville?

[E4 No More]

Really?

So I'll just call Ronal Serpas and go writing tickets in Nashville?

Is that wrong? Are you an LEO? If so, do you have police arrest authority outside of your jurisdiction?

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Me, LEO? From time to time.

Generally speaking, as a municipal police officer, my police arrest authority is this...

TCA 6-54-301

The police authority of all incorporated towns and cities shall extend to a distance of one (1) mile from the lawful corporate limits thereof, for the suppression of all disorderly acts and practices forbidden by the general laws of the state; provided, that such jurisdiction of an incorporated town or city shall not be hereby extended beyond the limits of the county in which any part of such town is situated, or so as to come within one (1) mile of any other incorporated town or city.

...there are some exceptions (hot pursuit, possession of an arrest warrant, etc.).

Having said that, "getting involved" (as you say in your initial post) may mean something different than the subject matter of the above TCA.

Edited March 31, 2009 by Todd@CIS

[E4 No More]

Me, LEO? From time to time.

Generally speaking, as a municipal police officer, my police arrest authority is this...

TCA 6-54-301

The police authority of all incorporated towns and cities shall extend to a distance of one (1) mile from the lawful corporate limits thereof, for the suppression of all disorderly acts and practices forbidden by the general laws of the state; provided, that such jurisdiction of an incorporated town or city shall not be hereby extended beyond the limits of the county in which any part of such town is situated, or so as to come within one (1) mile of any other incorporated town or city.

...there are some exceptions (hot pursuit, possession of an arrest warrant, etc.).

Having said that, "getting involved" (as you say in your initial post) may mean something different than the subject matter of the above TCA.

Thanks. I would have liked to have had even that little caveat when I was a policeman. We didn't have even that when I left the department in 1993. In class A counties, the police had jurisdiction throughout the county, but that was it, and there were only 2 class A counties in Missouri at the time. Hot pursuit of a felony suspect was the only time we could pursue out of the city limits.