TACP Weekly Newsletter (20250423)
IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION:
Novi AMS Transition | Legislative Update | TACP Scholarships | IACP Conference | Vacant Law Enforcement Positions | TN Department of Safety & Homeland Security
NOVI AMS Transition
We are conducting a soft launch of the system with select members to work out some issues. If you have converted to the new system already, no issues.
Legislative Update
The General Assembly adjourned on April 22, 2025. Below is a brief recap of TACP Bills.
1. The Vine Courts bill passed making victim notifications throughout the court process permanent. The program is funded with a recurring general fund appropriation and is necessary for law enforcement to be able to comply with the Marsy's Law constitutional amendment that will be ratified by the voters in 2026.
2. We passed a bill that is now Public Chapter 66, which fixes the Sex Offender classification issue. All classifications will continue to be done by TBI.
3. We passed four bond-related bail bills and supported Speaker Sexton's bail constitutional amendment.
a. SB 1133 / H 1256 fixes the FAT bench warrant issue from a bill that passed two years ago. Warrants will now be able to be entered into CINCH with extradition limitations and the sheriff has three business days from receipt to enter the FAT warrant into CINCH.
b. SB 1202 / H 671 will require a hearing in open court before a bondsmen can come off the bond. Notice must be served to the DA and the bondsmen must show good faith efforts to locate and bring the defendant to court.
c. SB 1237 / HB 785 will require court clerks to report the total number of bonds and the outstanding liability each bondsman has in the county. This will help prevent bondsmen from overextending (writing more than they have collateral to backup) and allow the Dept. of Revenue to more easily audit the $12 bond tax.
d. SB 1245 / HB 576 sets up a new 7-member Board of Professional Bondsmen under the Department of Commerce and Insurance that will license bondsmen, field complaints on bondsmen, and issue discipline where appropriate. The judge will retain the discretion to decide who can write bonds in his or her court.
e. SJR 25 extends the court’s discretion to refuse bail for certain violent offenses the same way the court currently can for capital offenses.
f. SB 464 / HB 528 was not our bill, but it passed and requires a bondsman to charge exactly 10% for all bonds for Tennessee residents and sets a floor of 10% and a cap of 15% for bonds for non-Tennessee residents.
4. SB 601 / HB 580 passed and fixes a lot of the issues raised by the mandatory GPS for Agg. Assault DV bill from last year.
5. We supported and passed SB 763 / HB 968, which will prohibit the sale of illegal Chinese disposable nicotine vapes in TN and create a registry of approved vape products. For open system vapes (refillable) the "juice" must be created in an FDA approved lab.
6. SB 1413 / HB 1376 is a bill we heavily supported. It moves hemp regulations to ABC from the Department of Agriculture. It also prohibits the sale of THCa in Tennessee. This was a large bill with a lot of moving parts, and I'll give a more detailed explanation in the future.
As bills receive a public chapter, Jimmy Musice will put together a master report covering all bills that passed impacting law enforcement and public safety.
TACP Scholarships
Funding from grant THSO-2025-TACP-SA-00273, provided by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police (TACP), allows TACP to offer scholarships to allow police chiefs from smaller agencies across Tennessee to attend the association’s bi-monthly training meetings. This initiative aims to support professional development and networking opportunities for senior law enforcement officials in smaller departments, helping them access crucial training and resources that might otherwise be difficult to afford. Here are the upcoming scholarship opportunities:
June Bimonthly Meeting
There are four scholarships available for our upcoming bi-monthly meeting, June 25-27, 2025, at the Sonesta Hotel in Nashville. Scholarships cover two nights' lodging (Wednesday and Thursday) and per diem. If selected, recipients are responsible for making and guaranteeing their own hotel reservations with the Sonesta Nashville Airport through a link that will be provided by the TACP office. You must attend the entire training session to be eligible.
Please click here to submit your application. Due to some confusion with dual forms, please reapply even if you applied previously for the June meeting.
TACP 55th Annual Conference and Vendor Expo
There are 8 scholarships available for the 55th Annual Conference and Vendor Expo, August 13, 2025, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Scholarships will cover the registration fee, three nights lodging (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) at either the Hampton Inn or Wonder Hotel at the conference rate. If selected, you will receive additional information regarding registration and hotel reservations. You must attend the entire training session, including the annual awards banquet on Friday night, to be eligible.
Please click here to submit your application.
The deadline to submit your applications for either or both of these opportunities is May 9, 2025.
TACP College Scholarships
The Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police is committed to promoting professionalism in community and criminal justice related careers. To further that commitment, the TACP is providing a competitive college scholarship for a qualifying student. This is open for applicants that meet the requirements and will close on April 30, 2025.
Tennessee Room Block for IACP Conference
There are a couple of rooms left in the Tennessee hotel block for the 2025 IACP Conference in Denver, October 18, 2025. These are available on a first come, first served basis. The rooms are at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center and at the rate of $323 plus taxes and fees per night. If you are interested in reserving one of these rooms, please reply to Sharry Dedman-Beard with the following information:
Name:
Email address:
Check in Date:
Check out Date:
The room will be held on the TACP credit card and the Executive Director will contact you with instructions to change the form of payment prior to checking in.
The deadline for assigning the rooms is June 13, 2025. After this date, they go back into the pool for reassignment to other states.
Vacant Law Enforcement Positions
Title: Captain
Location: La Vergne Police Department
Salary Range: $80,713
To apply, submit an application to this job announcement.
************************************
Title: Patrol Officer
Location: La Vergne Police Department
Salary Range: $24.66 (Hourly)
To apply, submit an application to this job announcement.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, focusing on the theme "Don't Drive Distracted, Eyes Forward."
HELP US STAY "IN THE KNOW"
If you have any news, media releases, or information that would be useful in our weekly newsletter, please submit it to admin@tacp.org.