The General Assembly's own police force
The N.C. General Assembly has its own police force, which is responsible for patrolling the grounds and generally keeping the honorables safe. They are real cops, with badges, guns and arrest powers.
Sen. Tony Rand, the Senate majority leaders and a Fayetteville Democrat, wants to expand their powers.
Right now, a General Assembly police officer automatically has jurisdiction anywhere within the territory bounded by 440 in Wake County, essentially inside the beltline.
Rand has filed S 1957, which would expand that authority to all of Wake County.
It also would imbue the General Assembly police with police powers while on a variety of protective details, including "providing physical security for any special event sanctioned by the General Assembly being held outside of Wake county such as local, state, regional, or national meetings of legislative bodies or representative organizations in this State, while accompanying a member of the General Assembly to or from any event listed in this subdivision, or while assigned to protect any other dignitary as requested be either the Speaker or the House or the President Pro Tempore of the Senate."
I'll see if the opportunity arises to ask Sen. Rand about what this is all about later today.
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