Georgia House Bill HB915

Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/2/25

Caption

Law enforcement officers and agencies; authorize county and municipal law enforcement agencies to employ civilian personnel to assist in certain investigations

Summary

HB915 authorizes county and municipal law enforcement agencies in Georgia to employ a new category of nonsworn personnel called “civilian community responders.” These responders may assist with traffic accident investigations, property crime investigations, public education on laws and ordinances, and searches for missing persons. The bill also directs the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) to create a uniform training program for these responders, including at least four hours of instruction and four weeks of field training with an experienced officer. The bill sets clear limits on the role of civilian community responders. They may not exercise the powers of sworn peace officers, including arrest authority, may not be issued weapons by the agency, and may not wear badges. Their vehicles must not be marked as law-enforcement vehicles or display blue lights, though they may have emergency equipment and lights. The bill also requires responders to use uniform accident reports and procedures, and it gives them limited authority to direct traffic when needed to tow or remove a vehicle obstructing a highway.

Impact

HB915 would amend Title 35 and Title 40 of the Georgia Code to create statutory authority for local law enforcement agencies to hire and train civilian personnel for limited investigative and traffic-control functions. It adds a new Code section defining civilian community responders, revises POST’s duties to include a training program for them, and updates traffic laws so motorists must obey their lawful directions in specified circumstances. It also requires the state’s uniform accident reporting rules to apply to these responders, affecting how accident reports are prepared and filed statewide.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text, the measure appears generally supportive of expanding local public-safety capacity without expanding sworn police powers. The bill’s structure suggests an effort to provide agencies with additional staffing flexibility while preserving a clear distinction between civilian responders and sworn officers. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, opposition, or formal support beyond the bill’s introduced language.

Contention

The main policy tension in HB915 is the balance between efficiency and scope of authority. Supporters would likely view the bill as a way to free sworn officers for higher-priority duties by assigning lower-risk tasks such as accident documentation and initial property-crime reporting to trained civilians. Potential concerns are that civilian responders could blur the line between civilian and sworn authority, create public confusion, or raise questions about training adequacy, liability, and officer safety. The bill addresses some of these concerns by prohibiting arrest powers, weapons issuance, badges, and law-enforcement-style vehicle markings, and by making obstruction of responders a misdemeanor.