Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H4697: An Act relative to the training, certification, and recognition of constables and civil deputy sheriffs
Status: Failed, June 24, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, October 27, 2025:
SECTION 1. Section 116 of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “general”, in line 19, the following words:- ; member to be appointed by the Massachusetts Bay Constables Association, Inc.; member to be appointed by the Massachusetts Constables Association, Inc. SECTION 2. Section 1 of chapter 6E of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of “Officer-involved injury or death” the following definition:- “Other law enforcement officer”, any officer whose statutory or common law authority includes enforcement of civil, criminal, administrative or judicial orders and who does not meet the definition of law enforcement officer, including, but not limited to, civil deputy sheriffs, constables, court officers, harbormasters, parole officers, probation officers, corrections officers; provided, however, that such individual has completed training and in-service education as determined by the commission and the Massachusetts Police Training Committee; provided further, for the purposes of this chapter, “other law enforcement officer” shall include any officer of an elected or appointed constable, whether operating individually or under a legal association or corporation. SECTION 3. Section 4 of said chapter 6E, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:- (k) The commission shall develop flexible training options for other law enforcement …
Sponsors
- Jeffrey Turco (D, 19th Suffolk) · primary sponsor
- James Arena-DeRosa (D)
- Patrick O'Connor (R, First Plymouth and Norfolk)
- Marcus Vaughn (R)
Latest actions
- : Accompanied a study order, see H5530 (under House Rule 27)
- : Reporting date extended to Friday, June 12, 2026
- : Hearing rescheduled to 03/18/2026 from 09:00 AM-12:45 PM in A-2 <br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing updated to New End Time</span>
- : Hearing scheduled for 03/18/2026 from 09:00 AM-12:00 PM in A-2
- : Senate concurred
- : Reported, referred to the committee on Joint Rules, reported, rules suspended and referred to the committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
- : Referred to the committee on House Rules
- : Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order
Common questions
- What is H4697?
- H4697 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act relative to the training, certification, and recognition of constables and civil deputy sheriffs.
- What is the status of H4697?
- Failed as of June 24, 2026. Latest action: Accompanied a study order, see H5530 (under House Rule 27) (June 24, 2026).
- Who sponsored H4697?
- Jeffrey Turco (D, 19th Suffolk), with 3 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for H4697?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4697
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.