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establish certain provisions related to law enforcement.
South Dakota law enforcement training will ban chokeholds and similar restraint methods that cut off breathing or blood circulation, and all new officers must receive training on tribal jurisdiction, history, and culture. The state will also create a public online database showing which law enforcement officers have had their certifications suspended or revoked, including the officer's name, employer, and reason for the suspension or revocation.
revise certain provisions regarding inspections and seizures by, and forfeitures involving, the Department of Game, Fish and Parks.
HB1111 removes the Department of Game, Fish and Parks' authority to inspect hotels, restaurants, and storage facilities for illegal game and fish, and eliminates immunity protections that previously shielded law enforcement officers from liability when destroying illegal hunting or fishing equipment. The bill keeps the department's core power to seize and dispose of illegally taken wildlife and the tools used to take it, but narrows the scope of inspection authority and removes certain legal protections for officers.
modify the process for civil forfeiture.
South Dakota creates a formal legal process for criminal forfeiture—the government's ability to seize property used in crimes—by establishing clear definitions and procedures that didn't previously exist in state law. The law defines key terms like "innocent owner" (someone who didn't know their property was being used in a crime and can't have it forfeited), "instrumentality" (property used to commit a crime), and "contraband" (inherently illegal items), and sets up how law enforcement agencies must handle these seizures. This gives property owners more legal protections and clarity about when the government can take their belongings in criminal cases.
reform training requirements for law enforcement officers.
South Dakota law enforcement officers will be required to complete training on how to respond to resistance from suspects, with initial training followed by refresher courses at least every two years. This creates a new statewide requirement for all officers to receive this specialized training on an ongoing basis.