--- title: SB 99. Crimes and Offenses; definition of law enforcement officer; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb99 cite_as: SB 99, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb99 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb99.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb99/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69937 date: 2025-05-13 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb98.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb100.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1232 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb99.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 99 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 sponsors: - Randy Robertson - John Albers - Timothy Bearden - Carden Summers - Billy Hickman - Mike Hodges - Drew Echols - Sam Watson - Marty Harbin - Shawn Still - Chuck Payne - Brian Strickland - Steve Gooch - Matt Reeves text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB99/2025 upstream_id: 1958444 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - law enforcement definitions - police training - criminal code - public safety - peace officer certification --- # SB 99. Crimes and Offenses; definition of law enforcement officer; provide ## Text 25 LC 56 0388S Senate Bill 99 By: Senators Robertson of the 29th, Albers of the 56th, Bearden of the 30th, Summers of the 13th, Hickman of the 4th and others AS PASSED A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Sections 16-1-3 and 17-4-20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to definitions relative to crimes and offenses and authorization of arrests with and2 without warrants generally, use of deadly force, adoption or pr omulgation of conflicting3 regulations, policies, ordinances, and resolutions, and authori ty of nuclear power facility4 security officer, respectively, so as to provide for a definition of law enforcement officer; to5 provide for a cross reference to such definition; to provide fo r a short title; to provide for6 related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8 SECTION 1.9 This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Law Enforcement Partners Act."10 SECTION 2.11 Code Section 16-1-3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to definitions12 relative to crimes and offenses, is amended by adding a new paragraph to read as follows:13 "(8.1) 'Law enforcement officer' means:14 (A) A peace officer;15 S. B. 99 - 1 - 25 LC 56 0388S (B) Any state or federal law enforcement officer who renders a ssistance to a law16 enforcement agency of this state or any political subdivision t hereof in response to a17 declaration of a state of emergency or disaster issued by the Governor pursuant to Code18 Section 38-3-51;19 (C) An appointed chief of police or department head of a law enforcement unit who20 has not completed the applicab le training required by Code Sect ion 35-8-2021 or 35-8-20.1 from the date of initial appointment to the date by which such training is22 to be completed pursuant to the applicable Code section;23 (D) An individual certified or commissioned in another state a s a law enforcement24 officer, peace officer, or other official as being authorized t o make arrests and carry25 firearms in the performance of his or her official duties who i s employed by a law26 enforcement agency, enforcement unit, agency, or department of this state or any27 municipality, county, or other political subdivision thereof but who has not completed28 the applicable training required by Chapter 8 of Title 35, the 'Georgia Peace Officer29 Standards and Training Act,' provided that such individual's certification or commission30 in another state remains in good standing; and31 (E) A federal law enforcement officer who is employed by the U nited States32 government as a full-time law enforcement officer, is in good standing with his or her33 federal agency of employment, is authorized to carry a firearm in the performance of34 his or her official duties, and is empowered to arrest a person for criminal violations of35 the United States Code; while serving at the request of a Georgia state or local peace36 officer or to prevent imminent death or bodily harm."37 SECTION 3.38 Code Section 17-4-20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to authorization39 of arrests with and without warrants generally, use of deadly force, adoption or promulgation40 of conflicting regulations, policies, ordinances, and resolutio ns, and authority of nuclear41 S. B. 99 - 2 - 25 LC 56 0388S power facility security officer, is amended in subsection (a) b y adding a new paragraph to42 read as follows:43 "(4) As used in this subsection, the term 'law enforcement offi cer' shall have the same44 meaning as set forth in Code Section 16-1-3."45 SECTION 4.46 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.47 S. B. 99 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. Senate Bill 99 creates a broader legal definition of "law enforcement officer" in Georgia's criminal code, covering certain out-of-state, federal, and newly appointed officers who have not yet completed standard Georgia training. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law did not have a single, broad definition of "law enforcement officer" covering everyone who might act in that role, including officers still completing training or working across state and federal lines. Senate Bill 99, called the "Law Enforcement Partners Act," adds a new definition to the state's crimes and offenses code (O.C.G.A. § 16-1-3). The new definition includes peace officers, out-of-state or federal officers helping during a governor-declared emergency, newly appointed police chiefs or department heads still working through required training, officers certified in another state but not yet trained under Georgia's Peace Officer Standards and Training Act, and federal officers acting at the request of a Georgia officer or to prevent death or injury. The bill also updates the state's arrest and use-of-force law (O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20) to point to this same definition, so the same rules apply consistently across both sections. ### What it does - Adds a new legal definition of "law enforcement officer" to Georgia's criminal code (O.C.G.A. § 16-1-3) covering several specific categories of officers. - Includes newly appointed police chiefs or department heads who have not yet finished required state training within the training completion deadline. - Includes out-of-state certified officers working in Georgia who have not yet completed Georgia's required training, as long as their home-state certification stays valid. - Includes federal law enforcement officers acting at a Georgia officer's request or to stop imminent death or bodily harm. - Cross-references this same definition in Georgia's arrest and use-of-force statute (O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20) so both laws use identical terms. - Gives the bill an official short title, the "Law Enforcement Partners Act." ### Who it affects The bill affects Georgia peace officers, newly appointed police chiefs and department heads still completing training, out-of-state officers working temporarily in Georgia, federal law enforcement officers assisting Georgia agencies, and any Georgians whose interactions with these officers could be governed by state arrest and use-of-force laws. ### Why it matters By spelling out exactly who counts as a "law enforcement officer" under Georgia's arrest and use-of-force law, the bill clarifies which officers, including trainees, out-of-state officers, and federal agents, are covered when questions arise about their legal authority to arrest someone or use force. ### Key provisions - Section 1 names the bill the "Law Enforcement Partners Act." - Section 2 adds a new paragraph (8.1) to O.C.G.A. § 16-1-3 defining "law enforcement officer" across five categories: peace officers, emergency-response officers from other states or the federal government, untrained new chiefs or department heads, out-of-state certified officers not yet trained in Georgia, and certain federal officers. - Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20 to state that "law enforcement officer" in that statute has the same meaning defined in Section 2. - Section 4 repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new provisions. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Randy Robertson, John Albers, Timothy Bearden, Carden Summers, Billy Hickman, Mike Hodges, Drew Echols, Sam Watson, Marty Harbin, Shawn Still, Chuck Payne, Brian Strickland, Steve Gooch, Matt Reeves - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69937 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,232 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb99.md?full=1