HB154 Criminal procedure; out-of-state warrants, arrest authorized…

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is listed as 'immediately' upon enactment, but no specific calendar date for final enrollment or signing is provided in the source text.

HB154: Rules for Arrests Based on Out-of-State Warrants and Pursuits

This law allows people to be arrested without a warrant if they are charged with any felony in another state, and it authorizes out-of-state police officers to arrest suspects while chasing them into Alabama.

What This Bill Does

Allows an officer or private citizen to arrest someone without a warrant if that person is charged in another state with a crime punishable by death, life imprisonment, more than one year of prison, or any other felony.
Authorizes out-of-state law enforcement officers to arrest individuals suspected of committing a felony while engaged in fresh pursuit into Alabama.
Requires that anyone arrested under these rules be taken before a district or circuit court judge without unnecessary delay for a hearing on the lawfulness of the arrest.
Allows judges who find an arrest lawful to hold the person in custody until extradition papers arrive or release them on bail pending those papers.

Who It Names or Affects

People suspected of committing felonies in other states who are arrested in Alabama
Law enforcement officers from outside Alabama chasing suspects across state lines
Alabama district and circuit court judges reviewing these arrests

Terms To Know

Felony: A crime punishable by death, imprisonment for more than one year, or any other felony.
Fresh Pursuit: The pursuit of a suspect who committed or is suspected of committing a felony; it does not require instant action but must happen without unreasonable delay.

Limits and Unknowns

This law applies only to crimes charged in another state.
A judge must decide if an arrest by an out-of-state officer is lawful before the person can be held longer or released on bail.
The text does not define exactly how long 'without unnecessary delay' means for taking someone to court.

Official Summary Text

Criminal procedure; out-of-state warrants, arrest authorized for crime punishable by more than one year, arrest by out-of-state officers authorized

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB154 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB154
NR5BQJJ-1
By Representative Lee
RFD: Public Safety and Homeland Security
First Read: 13-Jan-26
1
2
3
4
5
NR5BQJJ-1 01/07/2026 THR (L)THR 2025-2209
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, an individual may be
arrested without a warrant if the individual has been
charged in another state with a crime punishable by
death or life imprisonment.
This bill would provide that an individual may
be arrested without a warrant if the individual has
been charged in another state with a felony.
This bill would also authorize out-of-state law
enforcement officers to arrest individuals suspected of
committing a felony in the officer's home state at the
conclusion of a fresh pursuit.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to criminal procedure; to amend Section
15-9-41, Code of Alabama 1975; to further provide for the
conditions under which an individual may be arrested without a
warrant; and to add Section 15-9-50 to the Code of Alabama
1975, to authorize arrests by out-of-state law enforcement
officers in certain circumstances.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
HB154 INTRODUCED
Page 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 15-9-41, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended to read as follows:
"§15-9-41
(a) The arrest of a person may be lawfully made also by
an officer or a private citizen An officer or private citizen,
without a warrant , may lawfully arrest an individual upon
reasonable information that the accused individual stands
charged in the courts of another state with any of the
following:
(1) a A crime punishable by death or life .
(2) A crime punishable by imprisonment in the courts of
another state for a term exceeding one year.
(3) Any crime otherwise punishable as a felony .
(b) When so arrested Following an arrest pursuant to
subsection (a) , the accused arrestee must be taken receive a
hearing before a district or circuit court judge with all
practicable speed and. A complaint must be made against him or
her under oath setting forth the ground for the arrest as in
Section 15-9-40 ,. and thereafter Thereafter, his or her answer
shall be heard as if he or she had been arrested on a
warrant."
Section 2. Section 15-9-50 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§15-9-50
(a) For the purposes of this section, the following
terms have the following meanings:
(1) ARRESTING OFFICER. An officer, employee, or agent
of any state or of any political subdivision of a state who is
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
HB154 INTRODUCED
Page 3
of any state or of any political subdivision of a state who is
required by law to: (i) maintain public order; (ii) make
arrests for offenses, whether that duty extends to all
offenses or is limited to specific offenses; and (iii)
investigate the commission or suspected commission of
offenses.
(2) FELONY. Any of the following crimes committed in
any state:
a. A crime punishable by death.
b. A crime punishable by imprisonment for a term
exceeding one year.
c. Any crime otherwise punishable as a felony.
(3) FRESH PURSUIT. a. The term includes, but is not
limited to, all of the following:
1. The term as defined by the common law.
2. The pursuit of an individual who has committed a
felony or who is reasonably suspected of having committed a
felony.
3. The pursuit of an individual suspected of having
committed a supposed felony, though no felony has actually
been committed, if there is reasonable ground for believing
that a felony has been committed.
b. The term does not necessarily imply instant pursuit,
but pursuit without unreasonable delay.
(4) POWER TO ARREST. The legal authority to arrest and
hold an individual in custody that is equivalent in scope to
an Alabama law enforcement officer's authority to arrest and
hold in custody an individual believed to have committed a
felony in this state.
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
HB154 INTRODUCED
Page 4
felony in this state.
(b) Any arresting officer of another state, while
engaged in fresh pursuit of an individual believed to have
committed a felony in that state, shall have the power to
arrest that individual in this state.
(c) Subsection (b) shall not be construed to make any
arrest in this state unlawful that would otherwise be lawful.
(d)(1) If an arrest is made in this state pursuant to
subsection (b), the arresting officer, without unnecessary
delay, shall take the individual before a district or circuit
judge for the county in which the arrest was made. The judge
shall conduct a hearing to determine the lawfulness of the
arrest.
(2)a. If the judge determines that the arrest was
lawful, he or she shall commit the individual to custody for a
reasonable time to await the issuance of an extradition
warrant or admit the individual to bail for the same purpose.
b. If the judge determines that the arrest was not
lawful, he or she shall discharge the individual.
Section 3. This act shall become effective immediately.
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103