The chief executive officer of any municipality, the clerk of the board of police commissioners in any municipality or any justice of the peace may sign and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses before the board of police commissioners in such municipality at any lawful meeting of such board. Any such subpoena may be served in the same manner as by law provided for witnesses in civil causes, except that no fees shall be tendered to any witness at the time of such service. Any person upon whom such process has been legally served shall appear before such board in obedience to such process and testify as to any matters lawfully pending before such board. If any person upon whom such a subpoena has been served refuses to attend before such board, the clerk of such board, by direction of the board, may issue a capias, directed to some proper officer, to arrest such witness and bring him before the board to testify; and, in case such person refuses to testify, the board shall have the power to adjudge such person to be in contempt and may issue a mittimus, signed by its clerk, and commit such person to a community correctional center for not more than thirty days.
(1949 Rev., S. 661; 1969, P.A. 297; P.A. 77-178, S. 1.)
History: 1969 act replaced jails with community correctional centers; P.A. 77-178 replaced “city” with “municipality” and “mayor” with “chief executive officer”.
This is an exercise of the police power and is not a judicial proceeding. 65 C. 33. Cited. 180 C. 243; 222 C. 799.