{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/10.1-119.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/10.1-119.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/10.1-119.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/10.1-119.html"}],"law_id":59904,"edition_id":1,"section_id":59904,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-119","catch_line":"Defense of conservation officer of the Department prosecuted on criminal charges","history":"2007, c. 595; 2015, cc. 64, 489.","full_text":"If any conservation officer shall be brought before any regulatory body, summoned before any grand jury, investigated by any other law-enforcement agency, or arrested or indicted or otherwise prosecuted on any charge arising out of any act committed in the discharge of his official duties, the Director may employ special counsel approved by the Attorney General to defend such officer. Upon a finding that (i) the officer did not violate a law or regulation resulting from the act that was the subject of the investigation and (ii) the officer will not be terminated from employment as the result of such act, the Director shall arrange for payment for the special counsel employed. The compensation for special counsel employed pursuant to this section shall, subject to the approval of the Attorney General, be paid out of the funds appropriated for the administration of the Department of Conservation and Recreation or the Breaks Interstate Park Commission as may be applicable.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":219419,"text":"If any conservation officer shall be brought before any regulatory body, summoned before any grand jury, investigated by any other law-enforcement agency, or arrested or indicted or otherwise prosecuted on any charge arising out of any act committed in the discharge of his official duties, the Director may employ special counsel approved by the Attorney General to defend such officer. Upon a finding that (i) the officer did not violate a law or regulation resulting from the act that was the subject of the investigation and (ii) the officer will not be terminated from employment as the result of such act, the Director shall arrange for payment for the special counsel employed. The compensation for special counsel employed pursuant to this section shall, subject to the approval of the Attorney General, be paid out of the funds appropriated for the administration of the Department of Conservation and Recreation or the Breaks Interstate Park Commission as may be applicable.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15659,"edition_id":1,"name":"Conservation Officers","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13383,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:57:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:57:33","permalink":{"id":143447,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15659,"identifier":"4","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4","url":"\/10.1\/I\/1\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13383,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12893,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:45","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:45","permalink":{"id":143317,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13383,"identifier":"1","token":"10.1\/I\/1","url":"\/10.1\/I\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12893,"edition_id":1,"name":"Activities Administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation","identifier":"I","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12740,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":143315,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12893,"identifier":"I","token":"10.1\/I","url":"\/10.1\/I\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12740,"edition_id":1,"name":"Conservation","identifier":"10.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":143313,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12740,"identifier":"10.1","token":"10.1","url":"\/10.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":62641,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-115","catch_line":"Appointment of conservation officers; qualifications; oath","url":"\/10.1-115\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-115","metadata":false},{"id":66005,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-116","catch_line":"Jurisdiction of conservation officers","url":"\/10.1-116\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-116","metadata":false},{"id":67679,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-117","catch_line":"Powers and duties of conservation officers","url":"\/10.1-117\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-117","metadata":false},{"id":79042,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-118","catch_line":"Decommissioning of conservation officers","url":"\/10.1-118\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-118","metadata":false},{"id":59904,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-119","catch_line":"Defense of conservation officer of the Department prosecuted on criminal charges","url":"\/10.1-119\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-119","metadata":false},{"id":71325,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-120","catch_line":"Commissioning of Breaks Interstate Park Commission employees as conservation officers","url":"\/10.1-120\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-120","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":79042,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-118","catch_line":"Decommissioning of conservation officers","url":"\/10.1-118\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-118","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":71325,"structure_id":15659,"section_number":"10.1-120","catch_line":"Commissioning of Breaks Interstate Park Commission employees as conservation officers","url":"\/10.1-120\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-120","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/10.1-119\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2007. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 595<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2015, chapters 64<\/a> and 489<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":143465,"object_type":"law","relational_id":59904,"identifier":"10.1-119","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-119","url":"\/10.1-119\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/10.1-119\/","token":"10.1\/I\/1\/4\/10.1-119","dublin_core":{"Title":"Defense of conservation officer of the Department prosecuted on criminal charges","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 10.1-119","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

If any conservation officer shall be brought before any regulatory body, summoned before any grand jury<\/span>, investigated by any other law<\/span>-enforcement agency, or arrested or indicted or otherwise prosecuted on any charge arising out of any act committed in the discharge of his official duties, the Director<\/span> may employ special counsel<\/span> approved by the Attorney General<\/span> to defend such officer. Upon a finding<\/span> that (i) the officer did not violate a law<\/span> or regulation resulting from the act that was the subject of the investigation and (ii) the officer will not be terminated from employment as the result of such act, the Director<\/span> shall arrange for payment for the special counsel<\/span> employed. The compensation for special counsel<\/span> employed pursuant to this section shall, subject to the approval of the Attorney General<\/span>, be paid out of the funds appropriated for the administration of the Department<\/span> of Conservation and Recreation or the Breaks Interstate Park Commission as may be applicable.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFENSE OF CONSERVATION OFFICER OF THE DEPARTMENT PROSECUTED ON CRIMINAL CHARGES\n(\u00a7 10.1-119)\n\nIf any conservation officer shall be brought before any regulatory body,\nsummoned before any grand jury, investigated by any other law-enforcement\nagency, or arrested or indicted or otherwise prosecuted on any charge arising\nout of any act committed in the discharge of his official duties, the Director\nmay employ special counsel approved by the Attorney General to defend such\nofficer. Upon a finding that (i) the officer did not violate a law or regulation\nresulting from the act that was the subject of the investigation and (ii) the\nofficer will not be terminated from employment as the result of such act, the\nDirector shall arrange for payment for the special counsel employed. The\ncompensation for special counsel employed pursuant to this section shall,\nsubject to the approval of the Attorney General, be paid out of the funds\nappropriated for the administration of the Department of Conservation and\nRecreation or the Breaks Interstate Park Commission as may be applicable.\n\nHISTORY: 2007, c. 595; 2015, cc. 64, 489.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}