AR HB1711

Municipal port authorities may establish and organize their own police force and appoint one or more law enforcement officers to protect port authority persons, property, and facilities

Police forces may be funded through fees collected from port authority operations and through law enforcement grants the authority is permitted to apply for

Officers must be certified law enforcement officers under Arkansas Code § 12-9-101 and have authority to protect property, maintain order, prevent unlawful assemblies, and eject trespassers from port authority property and waterways

Officers may make arrests on or off port authority property for violations occurring on port property, carry weapons, and regulate motor vehicle operation and parking on port grounds

Officers may regulate watercraft operation and docking on waterways under port authority control and on adjoining/traversing waterways; the authority may promulgate rules for police force operation and organization