DOVER, Del. (AP) - The Democratic majority leader in the state House has introduced a bill asserting that county sheriffs and their deputies in Delaware do not have arrest authority.
Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf introduced the bill Thursday after the Republican sponsor of a similar measure tabled his own bill last week and introduced a resolution asking the state Supreme Court for guidance on the issue.
Legislation to clarify the powers of Delaware sheriffs was prompted by recent actions by the Sussex County sheriff.
The county council says deputies have been "self-dispatching" to incidents reported on state police radio frequencies, even though the attorney general's office has concluded several times
that sheriffs are not considered law enforcement officers and do not have police powers.
