AN ACT relating to the Department of Kentucky State Police.
SB 278 revises statutes governing the Kentucky State Police and related state vehicle rules. The bill clarifies the duties and powers of the commissioner, officers, and certain trooper classifications, including their authority to enforce criminal, motor vehicle, and traffic laws statewide, execute warrants, and receive the same immunities and defenses available to other peace officers. It also directs the commissioner to establish policies for off-duty police employment and secondary employment.
A major feature of the bill is the creation of a more detailed framework for off-duty police work. It allows Kentucky State Police personnel to engage in approved secondary employment that does not conflict with their duties or reflect unfavorably on the department, and it specifies what kinds of contracts may be approved or prohibited. The bill permits certain public-entity, state-funded, transportation-related, and public-safety event assignments, while barring work for retail establishments, weddings or private parties, and businesses whose primary on-site business is selling alcohol.
The bill amends KRS 16.060, KRS 16.070, and KRS 44.045 to update the legal authority, administrative responsibilities, and vehicle-use rules for the Department of Kentucky State Police and other state agencies. It expands and formalizes department policies on off-duty employment, use of uniforms, equipment, and vehicles, and the handling of state property, while also adjusting state vehicle registration and use provisions to account for law-enforcement investigatory and off-duty employment purposes. The changes affect Kentucky State Police personnel, the Finance and Administration Cabinet, the Transportation Cabinet, and state vehicle administration more broadly.
The bill appears to have been generally well received and moved with strong support. It passed the Senate 29-5 and later the House 95-0 on veto override, and it ultimately became law without the Governor’s signature. The vote pattern suggests broad bipartisan acceptance, with no committee transcript record indicating major public debate in the materials provided.
The main points of potential contention are the limits on off-duty police employment and the types of outside work that officers may or may not take. The bill draws a line between approved public-safety or public-entity assignments and prohibited private-sector work such as retail, weddings, private parties, and alcohol-focused businesses. Those restrictions suggest an effort to balance supplemental employment opportunities for officers with concerns about conflicts of interest, department reputation, and performance, though the available record does not show organized opposition or detailed debate.