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Committee declines bill to give fire-department bomb techs limited arrest authority
Summary
Representative Steven Meeks’ bill to authorize fire-department bomb technicians to make arrests in narrow, explosives-related or assisting-law-enforcement circumstances failed to pass after prolonged testimony from bomb-squad members, local commanders and committee members concerned about extending law-enforcement power to fire personnel.
Representative Steven Meeks (District 42) presented House Bill 1648 to give certain bomb-squad members the authority to make arrests in very limited circumstances tied to explosives incidents or when assisting law enforcement at request. Meeks and multiple witnesses told the committee the measure would resolve jurisdictional and training issues for fire-based bomb technicians who currently lack arrest authority despite specialized training and federal clearances. The committee discussed training requirements, interagency arrangements and liability; the bill failed to pass.
Meeks said the bill is “part b” of earlier legislation and would allow bomb-squad members, when acting in their official capacity and after completing a part-time law-enforcement training course approved by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (C-LEST/“CLEST” in testimony), to…
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