County Wants To Give Marshals Arrest Powers

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Cherokee County leaders are eyeballing a proposal that would give its marshals the power to arrest individuals.

County commissioners on Tuesday discussed a proposed resolution that would request the Cherokee County legislative delegation to introduce local legislation to grant marshals those powers.

Chief Marshal Ron Hunton said when he took over in August 2014, he reviewed the county’s ordinances and noticed that they do not ”accurately define our duties.”

This “housecleaning measure,” he added, would ensure the local laws are consistent with its legal authority.

The Cherokee County Marshals Office is responsible for enforcing county ordinances, as well as providing security at Board of Commissioner meetings, Magistrate Court proceedings, county events at its administration building in Canton and serve as back-up help for the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office and city police departments.

There are nine marshals on staff. They are all P.O.S.T-certified officers and are deputized by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, so they have the legal authority to make the arrest. They also complete the same training undertaken by sheriff’s office deputies, Hunton said.

Changing the county’s ordinance would make those stipulations consistent across the board.

“Clearly, we are sometimes put into positions to make custodial arrests, so it’s important to have our legal authority defined,” Hunton added.

On example Hunton provided is when marshals conduct traffic stops on trucks for unsecure loads, which are a violation of Cherokee ordinances. If a driver is found to be a habitual violator or possibly has a suspended license, that would call for the marshal to make a custodial arrest.

“It just makes good sense to have another layer of law enforcement” to assist the sheriff’s office and city police agencies, the chief marshal added.

County Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens agreed, adding it also ensures greater safety to everyone in the county.

“It’s more efficient, and gives full authority of police powers to our Marshal’s Office,”

Ahrens said county leaders plan to bring forth the measure to the Cherokee legislative delegation at the annual meeting lawmakers have with local entities. That meeting, usually held in December, has not been scheduled.

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