Tennessee Senate Bill SB0833

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36, Chapter 3, Part 6; Title 38 and Title 40, relative to orders of protection.

Summary

SB0833 requires law enforcement officers to take action when they become aware that a person in their presence is subject to an order of protection that has been entered but has not yet been served. In that situation, the officer must take appropriate steps to help ensure service of the order, including notifying the sheriff’s department of the person’s immediate location and providing other information that could assist in serving the order. The bill also directs the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to include instruction on these requirements in its training curriculum. The measure is framed as an enforcement and implementation bill for protective orders, aimed at improving service of process and helping ensure that protected parties receive the benefit of court-issued orders more quickly.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee law in Title 38 by creating a new duty for law enforcement officers when they encounter an unserved respondent who is subject to an order of protection, and it ties that duty to the existing protective-order framework in Title 36, Chapter 3, Part 6. It also affects peace officer training requirements by mandating that POST curriculum cover the new service-facilitation obligation. The practical impact is on law enforcement agencies, sheriffs’ departments, and officers who may encounter respondents before formal service has occurred, as well as on the administration and enforcement of orders of protection for victims of domestic violence and related protective-order cases.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears supportive and procedural rather than controversial. The bill is presented as a public-safety and court-enforcement measure intended to improve compliance with protective orders and strengthen victim protection. No opposing arguments, amendments, or recorded dissent are included in the available context.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided committee transcripts or voting history, so there is no recorded dispute to attribute to any legislator or stakeholder. Potential areas of concern, if raised, would likely involve law enforcement workload, the scope of officers’ duties when encountering an unserved respondent, or operational coordination with sheriffs’ departments, but these issues are not reflected in the supplied materials.