(a) The appointing authority of any city or town in the State of Alabama may appoint, with or without compensation, one or more reserve law enforcement officers to assist or aid full-time or part-time certified law enforcement officers as defined by this section. Reserve law enforcement officers appointed pursuant to this section shall serve at the pleasure of the municipal appointing authority.
(b) Any person desiring appointment as a reserve law enforcement officer after April 12, 1990, shall submit a written application to the municipal appointing authority certifying that the applicant is 19 years of age or older, of good moral character and reputation, and that he or she has never been convicted of a felony or of a misdemeanor involving force, violence, or moral turpitude. The applicant must also consent in writing to a fingerprint and background search.
(c) For the purposes of this section, the term "certified law enforcement officer" shall mean a municipal police officer who has completed the training requirements of the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission as set out in Article 3, Chapter 21, Title 36. The functions of a reserve law enforcement officer appointed pursuant to this section shall be confined to the following:
(1) Patrol operation performed for the purpose of detection, prevention, and suppression of crime or enforcement of the traffic or highway laws of the state, provided the reserve law enforcement officer acts at all times under the direct control and supervision of a certified law enforcement officer.
(2) Traffic direction and control may be performed without direct supervision, provided, however, that supervisory control is exercised by a certified law enforcement officer whose total span of control would be considered within reasonable limits.
(3) Reserve officers may render crowd control assistance at public gatherings or municipal functions as directed by the municipality provided supervisory control will be exercised by a certified law enforcement officer whose span of control would be considered within reasonable limits.
(d) No reserve law enforcement officer shall have authority to exercise any power of arrest unless he or she has completed the training requirements of the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission as set out in Article 3, Chapter 21, Title 36.
(e) No reserve law enforcement officer shall carry any firearm unless he or she has obtained a properly issued permit for such firearm and the appointing authority has approved his or her use of such firearm. Reserve law enforcement officers may use such firearms only to the extent permitted by properly promulgated regulations of the appointing authority.
Last modified: May 3, 2021