WBOC PhotoDOVER, Del. (AP) - A bill that would clarified that sheriffs in Delaware do not have police powers has been stricken by its sponsor.
Republican Rep. Daniel Short of Seaford withdrew the bill Wednesday shortly before it was to have been heard in a House committee, saying it had been the subject of political gamesmanship.
Short noted that he previously had asked the House Administration Committee to table the legislation, so that a request could be made for the state Supreme Court to determine whether sheriffs and their deputies have arrest powers under the state constitution.
Short said the plan to seek a court determination changed when the bill was placed back on the committee's agenda without his consent.
The bill was prompted by recent actions by the Sussex County sheriff.
