{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-144.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-144.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-144.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-144.1.html"}],"law_id":60313,"edition_id":1,"section_id":60313,"structure_id":15189,"section_number":"18.2-144.1","catch_line":"Prohibition against killing or injuring police animals; penalty","history":"1989, c. 558; 1998, c. 8.","full_text":"It shall be unlawful for any person to maliciously shoot, stab, wound or otherwise cause bodily injury to, or administer poison to or expose poison with intent that it be taken by a dog, horse or other animal owned, used or trained by a law-enforcement agency, regional jail or the Department of Corrections while such animal is performing his lawful duties or is being kept in a kennel, pen or stable while off duty. A violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 5 felony. The court shall order that the defendant pay restitution for the cost of any animal killed or rendered unable to perform its duties. Such cost shall include training expenses.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":220610,"text":"It shall be unlawful for any person to maliciously shoot, stab, wound or otherwise cause bodily injury to, or administer poison to or expose poison with intent that it be taken by a dog, horse or other animal owned, used or trained by a law-enforcement agency, regional jail or the Department of Corrections while such animal is performing his lawful duties or is being kept in a kennel, pen or stable while off duty. A violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 5 felony. The court shall order that the defendant pay restitution for the cost of any animal killed or rendered unable to perform its duties. Such cost shall include training expenses.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15189,"edition_id":1,"name":"Damage to and Tampering With Property","identifier":"7","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13243,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:52:50","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:52:50","permalink":{"id":165689,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15189,"identifier":"7","token":"18.2\/5\/7","url":"\/18.2\/5\/7\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13243,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Against Property","identifier":"5","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:30","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:30","permalink":{"id":165299,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13243,"identifier":"5","token":"18.2\/5","url":"\/18.2\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":78164,"structure_id":15189,"section_number":"18.2-144","catch_line":"Maiming, killing or poisoning animals, fowl, etc","url":"\/18.2-144\/","token":"18.2\/5\/7\/18.2-144","metadata":false},{"id":60313,"structure_id":15189,"section_number":"18.2-144.1","catch_line":"Prohibition against killing or injuring police animals; 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penalty","url":"\/18.2-151.1\/","token":"18.2\/5\/7\/18.2-151.1","metadata":false},{"id":66527,"structure_id":15189,"section_number":"18.2-152","catch_line":"Stealing from or tampering with parking meter, vending machine, pay telephone, etc","url":"\/18.2-152\/","token":"18.2\/5\/7\/18.2-152","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":78164,"structure_id":15189,"section_number":"18.2-144","catch_line":"Maiming, killing or poisoning animals, fowl, etc","url":"\/18.2-144\/","token":"18.2\/5\/7\/18.2-144","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":72037,"structure_id":15189,"section_number":"18.2-144.2","catch_line":"Prohibition against making a false representation of ownership of an animal to a public or private animal shelter; penalty","url":"\/18.2-144.2\/","token":"18.2\/5\/7\/18.2-144.2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-144.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1989. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 558 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. Unfortunately, the 1989 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. 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 1998, chapter 8<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":74660,"section_number":"19.2-392.12","catch_line":"(Effective July 1, 2026) Sealing of offenses resulting in a deferred and dismissed disposition or conviction by petition","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-392.12\/"},{"id":74705,"section_number":"3.2-6573.1","catch_line":"Local animal cruelty registries","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6573.1\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":165695,"object_type":"law","relational_id":60313,"identifier":"18.2-144.1","token":"18.2\/5\/7\/18.2-144.1","url":"\/18.2-144.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-144.1\/","token":"18.2\/5\/7\/18.2-144.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Prohibition against killing or injuring police animals; penalty","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-144.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

It shall be unlawful for any person to maliciously shoot, stab, wound or otherwise cause bodily injury to, or administer poison to or expose poison with intent<\/span> that it be taken by a dog, horse or other animal owned, used or trained by a law<\/span>-enforcement agency, regional jail or the Department of Corrections while such animal is performing his lawful duties or is being kept in a kennel, pen or stable while off duty. A violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 5 felony<\/span>. The court<\/span> shall order<\/span> that the defendant<\/span> pay restitution<\/span> for the cost of any animal killed or rendered unable to perform its duties. Such cost shall include training expenses.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPROHIBITION AGAINST KILLING OR INJURING POLICE ANIMALS; PENALTY (\u00a7 18.2-144.1)\n\nIt shall be unlawful for any person to maliciously shoot, stab, wound or\notherwise cause bodily injury to, or administer poison to or expose poison with\nintent that it be taken by a dog, horse or other animal owned, used or trained\nby a law-enforcement agency, regional jail or the Department of Corrections\nwhile such animal is performing his lawful duties or is being kept in a kennel,\npen or stable while off duty. A violation of this section shall be punishable as\na Class 5 felony. The court shall order that the defendant pay restitution for\nthe cost of any animal killed or rendered unable to perform its duties. Such\ncost shall include training expenses.\n\nHISTORY: 1989, c. 558; 1998, c. 8.","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}}