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Harrison County supervisors endorse 'Aiden's Law,' urge lawmakers to allow local radar enforcement
Summary
After a public appeal from a grandfather whose grandson died on a county highway, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a resolution backing 'Aiden's Law' and asked the state legislature to authorize radar use by county sheriffs or provide home-rule authority for counties to decide locally.
The Harrison County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a resolution supporting "Aiden's Law" after hearing an emotional public appeal from Richard Bouchard, who described losing his grandson in a roadway crash and urged stronger local enforcement.
Bouchard, who identified himself as a Harrison County resident, told the board the measure would allow sheriffs to use radar, expand troop staffing and require proof of insurance when issuing vehicle tags. "Aiden's law asked for radar for our sheriffs," Bouchard said, linking the proposal to broader efforts to lower Mississippi's highway fatality rate.
Board members discussed the legal limits on county authority. Several supervisors noted that statewide legislative action is required to permit local radar enforcement; one supervisor suggested language that would ask the legislature to authorize home-rule so individual counties could adopt radar ordinances where desired. The board debated adding explicit home-rule language to the resolution so counties that oppose radar would remain unaffected.
A motion to support Aiden's Law — and to include language asking for the option of home-rule adoption where the board deems it appropriate — passed on a voice vote. The transcript records the board answering "Aye" to the roll call and the chair noting "Motion carries." The resolution is a formal statement of local support; it does not itself change enforcement powers.
Next steps: the board directed staff to draft the resolution language (including the home-rule option) and to share it with the county's legislative delegation and other county boards that have expressed interest in the policy.
