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Panel backs bill barring registered *** offenders from volunteer fire departments after chiefs cite public-trust concerns
Summary
SB207 would prohibit people required to register as *** offenders from serving or volunteering with volunteer fire departments; chiefs and offender managers argued the law would give departments legal authority to refuse volunteers, while advocacy witnesses warned the ban would punish many rehabilitated people.
Senator Irvin presented SB207 as a bill driven by volunteer fire departments and *** offender managers who expressed concern about public trust when registered offenders serve on rural volunteer departments. "People regard firefighters with a sense of safety and security," said Penny Prickett, the *** offender coordinator for the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, arguing that offenders working at open houses or entering homes for medical calls could put families at risk.
Paul Newell, introduced as the president of the association that raised the issue, described instances in which offenders positioned themselves to reoffend and said small rural departments have no "teeth" under current law to bar people from volunteering. Fire chiefs told the committee many calls are medical and that departments frequently recruit any available volunteer; Chief Mike Steven said junior-firefighter programs rely on adult supervision and that a known registrant could impede recruitment and public trust.
Opponents included Carla Swanson of an advocacy organization, who urged caution against broad exclusions and cited a statistic from testimony that 95 percent of registrants do not reoffend in short windows. "You're punishing the 95 percent of the population just because you're afraid of one person," Swanson said, urging reassessment and individualized review.
Kenny Kendrick of Arkansas Community Correction explained the four-level registry: level 1 often covers youthful/consensual cases; level 2 often includes child-exploitation or decoy cases; level 3 and 4 indicate greater assessed risk. He confirmed registered persons may petition for reassessment five years after their original assessment. Committee members discussed whether to exclude level 1 or make exceptions for departments; sponsors said SB207 contains no level-based exemption as written.
After testimony and questions, the committee moved to pass SB207 and approved it by voice vote. Senators discussed coordinating SB207 with a broader measure, SB183, which extends similar prohibitions to law enforcement and other emergency-service agencies.
