§ 36-8-3-20 — Police reserve officers

(a) This section applies to counties and towns
as well as cities.
(b) A unit shall provide by ordinance the number of police reserve
officers that the department may appoint.
(c) Police reserve officers shall be appointed by the same authority
that appoints regular members of the department.
(d) Police reserve officers may be designated by another name
specified by ordinance.
(e) Police reserve officers may not be members of the regular police
department but have all of the same police powers as regular members,
except as limited by the rules of the department. Each department may
adopt rules to limit the authority of police reserve officers.
(f) To the extent that money is appropriated for a purpose listed in
this subsection, police reserve officers may receive any of the
following:
(1) A uniform allowance.
(2) Compensation for time lost from other employment because
of court appearances.
(3) In the case of county police reserve officers, compensation for
lake patrol duties that the county sheriff assigns and approves for
compensation.
(g) Police reserve officers are not eligible to participate in any
pension program provided for regular members of the department.
(h) A police reserve officer may not be appointed until the officer
has completed the training and probationary period specified by rules
of the department.
(i) A police reserve officer appointed by the department after June
30, 1993, may not:
(1) make an arrest;
(2) conduct a search or a seizure of a person or property; or
(3) carry a firearm;
unless the police reserve officer successfully completes a pre-basic
course under IC 5-2-1-9(f).
(j) A police reserve officer carrying out lake patrol duties under this
chapter is immune from liability under IC 34-30-12, notwithstanding
the payment of compensation to the officer.
(k) After June 30, 2015, a police reserve officer who has
satisfactorily completed pre-basic training and has been appointed to
a law enforcement department or agency on either a full-time or
part-time basis is not eligible for continued employment unless the
police reserve officer satisfactorily completes the mandatory inservice
training requirements established by rules adopted by the law
enforcement training board (created by IC 5-2-1-3). Inservice training
must include training in interacting with persons with mental illness,
addictive disorders, intellectual disabilities, autism, developmental
disabilities, and Alzheimer's disease or related senile dementia, to be
provided by persons approved by the secretary of family and social
services and the board. The inservice training must also concern human
and sexual trafficking and high risk missing persons (as defined in IC 5-2-17-1). The board may approve courses offered by other public or
private training entities, including postsecondary educational
institutions, as necessary in order to ensure the availability of an
adequate number of inservice training programs. The board may waive
a police reserve officer's inservice training requirements if the board
determines that the police reserve officer's reason for lacking the
required amount of inservice training hours is due to either of the
following:
(1) An emergency situation.
(2) The unavailability of courses.
(l) After December 31, 2017, a unit shall:
(1) provide the coverage specified in section 22 of this chapter;
and
(2) pay the amounts specified in section 23 of this chapter;
for a police reserve officer who is injured or contracts an illness in the
course of or as the result of the performance of duties as a police
reserve officer.
(m) A unit may purchase policies of group insurance or establish a
plan of self-insurance to meet its obligations under section 22 or 23 of
this chapter. The establishment of a self-insurance program under this
subsection is subject to the approval of the unit's fiscal body. Expenses
incurred for premiums for insurance or for other charges or expenses
under sections 22 and 23 of this chapter shall be paid out of the unit's
general fund in the same manner as other expenses of the unit are paid.
[Pre-Local Government Recodification Citations:
19-1-17.5-1; 19-1-17.5-2; 19-1-17.5-3.]
As added by Acts 1981, P.L.309, SEC.52. Amended by
P.L.30-1992, SEC.6; P.L.72-1992, SEC.3; P.L.57-1995, SEC.10;
P.L.1-1998, SEC.212; P.L.100-2015, SEC.2; P.L.180-2017, SEC.4;
P.L.173-2023, SEC.5.