SB120 • 2026

Law enforcement; vehicular pursuits, creating a standard for pursuit policies

Children

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Orr
Last action: 2026-01-13
Official status: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill references existing law (Section 32-5A-7) for additional requirements, but the text of that section is not included in the provided source material.

SB120: Rules for Police Car Chases

This bill requires law enforcement agencies to have written plans and limits car chases only to suspects believed to have committed specific violent crimes or offenses creating an immediate threat of death.

What This Bill Does

Requires state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies that conduct emergency response and vehicular pursuits to adopt a written policy for vehicle pursuits.
Mandates that these policies include rules for when police cars cross into other jurisdictions.
Limits the authorization of car chases only to suspects believed to have committed specific violent crimes like murder, kidnapping, rape, arson, robbery, terrorism, aggravated child abuse, human trafficking, sexual torture, domestic violence in the first degree, burglary in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, or offenses creating an immediate threat of death.
Allows agencies to lose state funding if they fail to adopt a policy that follows these new rules.

Who It Names or Affects

State law enforcement agencies
County law enforcement agencies
Municipal (city) law enforcement agencies

Terms To Know

Vehicular pursuit: A situation where police officers chase a suspect in a vehicle.
Jurisdiction: The specific area or region where an agency has the legal power to enforce laws.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not take effect until October 1, 2026.
Agencies may choose to write their own policies or use an existing model as long as it meets the new requirements.
Pursuits are also allowed for any offense that creates an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury.

Bill History

2026-01-13 Senate
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-13 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

Law enforcement; vehicular pursuits, creating a standard for pursuit policies

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB120 INTRODUCED
Page 0
SB120
84QPLF2-1
By Senator Orr
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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84QPLF2-1 01/12/2026 GED (L)ma 2025-2660
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, law enforcement officers may
pursue suspects into neighboring jurisdictions and
across state lines for certain offenses.
This bill would create a standard that state,
county, and municipal law enforcement agencies shall
follow when developing and implementing vehicular
pursuit policies.
This bill would also limit vehicular pursuits to
individuals suspected of certain violent crimes.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to law enforcement; to create a standard by
which state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies
authorize the engagement of vehicular pursuits.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the Tristan Hollis Memorial Act.
Section 2. (a) Each state, county, and municipal law
enforcement agency that conducts emergency response and
vehicular pursuits shall adopt written policies, consistent
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SB120 INTRODUCED
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vehicular pursuits shall adopt written policies, consistent
with this section, that set forth the manner in which these
operations shall be conducted. Each law enforcement agency may
create its own policy or adopt an existing model, consistent
with this section. A vehicular pursuit policy created or
adopted by a law enforcement agency must address situations in
which police pursuits cross over into other jurisdictions. A
law enforcement agency that fails to adopt a policy in
accordance with this section is subject to the withholding of
any state funding or state-administered federal funding.
(b) No state, county, or municipal law enforcement
agency shall authorize the engagement of a vehicular pursuit
unless:
(1) The requirements of Section 32-5A-7, Code of
Alabama 1975, are met; and
(2) Probable cause exists to believe that the
individual being pursued has committed or is committing any of
the following offenses:
a. Murder, as provided in Section 13A-6-2, Code of
Alabama 1975.
b. Burglary in the first degree, as provided in Section
13A-7-5, Code of Alabama 1975 .
c. Kidnapping in the first degree, as provided in
Section 13A-6-43, Code of Alabama 1975 .
d. Human trafficking in the first degree, as provided
in Section 13A-6-152, Code of Alabama 1975 .
e. Rape in the first degree, as provided in Section
13A-6-61, Code of Alabama 1975 .
f. Sodomy in the first degree, as provided in Section
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SB120 INTRODUCED
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f. Sodomy in the first degree, as provided in Section
13A-6-63, Code of Alabama 1975 .
g. Sexual torture, as provided in Section 13A-6-65.1,
Code of Alabama 1975 .
h. Domestic violence in the first degree, as provided
in 13A-6-130, Code of Alabama 1975 .
i. Arson in the first degree, as provided in Section
13A-7-41, Code of Alabama 1975 .
j. Robbery in the first degree, as provided in Section
13A-8-41, Code of Alabama 1975 .
k. Terrorism, as provided in Section 13A-10-152, Code
of Alabama 1975 .
l. Aggravated child abuse, as provided in Section
26-15-3.1, Code of Alabama 1975 .
m. Any offense that creates an immediate threat of
death or serious bodily injury to another individual or a
substantial threat to the safety of another individual.
Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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