Posse comitatus - sustany/dvg GitHub Wiki

Posse comitatus is a Latin phrase meaning �the power of the county.� Posse comitatus describes a group of citizens who are called upon to assist a sheriff in keeping the peace, to conduct a rescue, or to apprehend a criminal. The ability of a sheriff to assemble a posse and even the extent of powers that a sheriff can delegate to that posse vary depending on the jurisdiction. Some posses engage in volunteer services while others can act as reserve police officers, if needed.�

California in particular has various statutes governing posses. For example, any person who assists a police officer in law enforcement activities and is not an independent contractor is considered to be a public employee and is thus entitled to compensation for their efforts. If a person in a posse comitatus is injured or killed while performing the requested law enforcement activity, they are to be indemnified at a rate of up to four times his or her average annual earnings, inclusive of any posse comitatus compensation. At the discretion of a sheriff, as many people as deemed necessary to assist in law enforcement may potentially be recruited, subject to no limitations. Most recently, SB-192 decriminalized the refusal to participate in a posse comitatus, which formerly was a misdemeanor and carried an accompanying fine.���