SB 2027 amends Mississippi’s radar speed detection law to expand where sheriffs and deputy sheriffs may use radar. Under the bill, county law enforcement could use radar on public county roads and highways outside incorporated municipalities, but not on interstates or four-lane state highways. The measure also sets tiered limits on how many radar guns a sheriff’s department may purchase based on the number of full-time deputies employed by the department.
The bill adds operational restrictions on radar enforcement, including a prohibition on using radar within 500 yards of a municipality boundary, a county boundary, or a speed limit change. It also directs revenue from speeding citations detected by sheriffs under this new authority to the school district where the citation was issued, rather than to the county, and limits use of those funds to school safety purposes such as school resource officers and driver’s education programs. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
SB 2027 would amend Section 63-3-519 of the Mississippi Code, which currently restricts radar use by most law enforcement agencies and allows only specified exceptions. The bill would create a new statewide authorization for sheriffs and deputy sheriffs to use radar in unincorporated areas of counties, while preserving existing limits for municipal police and other agencies. It would also change the distribution of certain speeding-violation funds by redirecting them from county revenue to local school district funds for designated uses.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so the bill’s sentiment can only be inferred from its content and caption. The measure appears generally supportive of county law enforcement by giving sheriffs broader speed-enforcement authority, while also framing the policy as a school-safety and driver-education funding measure. The absence of recorded debate or votes means there is no documented public opposition or endorsement in the provided materials.
Contention
The main policy tensions in the bill are between expanding sheriff radar enforcement and limiting where and how it can be used. Potential points of contention include the exclusion of interstates and four-lane state highways, the 500-yard buffer zones near municipal and county boundaries and speed-limit changes, and the cap on radar gun purchases tied to department size. Another likely issue is the redirection of citation-related funds from counties to school districts, which could be viewed as beneficial for schools but a loss of county revenue.