{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/9.1-116.01.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/9.1-116.01.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/9.1-116.01.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/9.1-116.01.html"}],"law_id":79920,"edition_id":1,"section_id":79920,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.01","catch_line":"Universal certification for certain law-enforcement officers","history":"2024, cc. 542, 581.","full_text":"A\n\nAny sworn law-enforcement officer with at least one year of law-enforcement experience (i) whose training qualifications meet or exceed current training standards established by the Board in accordance with this article and who is in compliance with §§ 15.2-1705 and 15.2-1706, (ii) who has not had a break in service of more than 24 months, and (iii) who is leaving the transferring law-enforcement agency in good standing with no pending investigations or disciplinary actions shall be eligible for employment at any law-enforcement agency within the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof. Any such law-enforcement officer shall complete any other training as determined to be necessary by the Board to ensure understanding of the criminal laws and all other laws of the Commonwealth.B\n\nPrior to any conditional offer of employment, the hiring law-enforcement agency shall request from all prior employing law-enforcement agencies any information (i) related to an arrest or prosecution of the applicant law-enforcement officer, including any expunged arrest or criminal charge known to the agency or disclosed during the hiring process that would otherwise be prohibited from disclosure in accordance with § 19.2-392.4; (ii) related to a civil suit regarding the applicant law-enforcement officer’s employment or performance of his duties; (iii) obtained during the course of any internal investigation related to the applicant law-enforcement officer’s alleged criminal conduct, use of excessive force, or other official misconduct in violation of the state professional standards of conduct adopted by the Board; and (iv) related to the applicant law-enforcement officer’s job performance that led to such officer’s resignation, dismissal, demotion, suspension, or transfer. The hiring law-enforcement agency shall employ all reasonable means to obtain personnel records for law-enforcement officers transferring from an out-of-state or federal law-enforcement agency, including requiring the applicant law-enforcement officer (a) to complete a waiver or release liability authorizing the hiring law-enforcement agency to request such information as listed in this subsection from all prior employing law-enforcement agencies and (b) to provide a full disclosure of any incidents or information that such prior employing law-enforcement agencies have been requested to disclose as listed in this subsection.\n\t\t\tUpon the receipt of all requested information by the hiring law-enforcement agency, the applicant law-enforcement officer shall complete a sworn declaration that the provided information or records are, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, a true, correct, and complete response to such request.C\n\nIn addition, the hiring law-enforcement agency may require a candidate for employment to undergo a psychological examination, subsequent to a conditional offer of employment, conducted under the supervision of a licensed psychiatrist or a licensed clinical psychologist.D\n\nNotwithstanding the provisions of this section, any sworn law-enforcement officer may be granted an exemption in accordance with the provisions of § 9.1-116 and may be subject to the compulsory minimum training standards established by the Board.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":286237,"text":"Any sworn law-enforcement officer with at least one year of law-enforcement experience (i) whose training qualifications meet or exceed current training standards established by the Board in accordance with this article and who is in compliance with §§ 15.2-1705 and 15.2-1706, (ii) who has not had a break in service of more than 24 months, and (iii) who is leaving the transferring law-enforcement agency in good standing with no pending investigations or disciplinary actions shall be eligible for employment at any law-enforcement agency within the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof. Any such law-enforcement officer shall complete any other training as determined to be necessary by the Board to ensure understanding of the criminal laws and all other laws of the Commonwealth.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":286238,"text":"Prior to any conditional offer of employment, the hiring law-enforcement agency shall request from all prior employing law-enforcement agencies any information (i) related to an arrest or prosecution of the applicant law-enforcement officer, including any expunged arrest or criminal charge known to the agency or disclosed during the hiring process that would otherwise be prohibited from disclosure in accordance with § 19.2-392.4; (ii) related to a civil suit regarding the applicant law-enforcement officer’s employment or performance of his duties; (iii) obtained during the course of any internal investigation related to the applicant law-enforcement officer’s alleged criminal conduct, use of excessive force, or other official misconduct in violation of the state professional standards of conduct adopted by the Board; and (iv) related to the applicant law-enforcement officer’s job performance that led to such officer’s resignation, dismissal, demotion, suspension, or transfer. The hiring law-enforcement agency shall employ all reasonable means to obtain personnel records for law-enforcement officers transferring from an out-of-state or federal law-enforcement agency, including requiring the applicant law-enforcement officer (a) to complete a waiver or release liability authorizing the hiring law-enforcement agency to request such information as listed in this subsection from all prior employing law-enforcement agencies and (b) to provide a full disclosure of any incidents or information that such prior employing law-enforcement agencies have been requested to disclose as listed in this subsection.\n\t\t\tUpon the receipt of all requested information by the hiring law-enforcement agency, the applicant law-enforcement officer shall complete a sworn declaration that the provided information or records are, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, a true, correct, and complete response to such request.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":286239,"text":"In addition, the hiring law-enforcement agency may require a candidate for employment to undergo a psychological examination, subsequent to a conditional offer of employment, conducted under the supervision of a licensed psychiatrist or a licensed clinical psychologist.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":286240,"text":"Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any sworn law-enforcement officer may be granted an exemption in accordance with the provisions of § 9.1-116 and may be subject to the compulsory minimum training standards established by the Board.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13184,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12897,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:24","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:24","permalink":{"id":284491,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13184,"identifier":"1","token":"9.1\/1\/1","url":"\/9.1\/1\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12897,"edition_id":1,"name":"Department of Criminal Justice Services","identifier":"1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12896,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":284489,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12897,"identifier":"1","token":"9.1\/1","url":"\/9.1\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12896,"edition_id":1,"name":"Commonwealth Public Safety","identifier":"9.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":284487,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12896,"identifier":"9.1","token":"9.1","url":"\/9.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":80750,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-100","catch_line":"Department of Criminal Justice Services","url":"\/9.1-100\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-100","metadata":false},{"id":73488,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-101","catch_line":"(Effective July 1, 2026) Definitions","url":"\/9.1-101\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-101","metadata":false},{"id":76757,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-101.1","catch_line":"Certified mail; subsequent mail or notices may be sent by regular mail","url":"\/9.1-101.1\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-101.1","metadata":false},{"id":54198,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-102","catch_line":"Powers and duties of the Board and the Department","url":"\/9.1-102\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-102","metadata":false},{"id":82575,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-102.1","catch_line":"Photo-identification cards","url":"\/9.1-102.1\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-102.1","metadata":false},{"id":78884,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-103","catch_line":"Direct operational responsibilities in law enforcement not authorized","url":"\/9.1-103\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-103","metadata":false},{"id":63330,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-104","catch_line":"Establishment of victim and witness assistance programs; purpose; guidelines","url":"\/9.1-104\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-104","metadata":false},{"id":82844,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-105","catch_line":"Intensified Drug Enforcement Jurisdictions Fund","url":"\/9.1-105\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-105","metadata":false},{"id":78412,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-106","catch_line":"Regional Criminal Justice Academy Training Fund; 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membership; terms; quorum; compensation and expenses; duties","url":"\/9.1-111\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-111","metadata":false},{"id":63447,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-112","catch_line":"Committee on Training; membership","url":"\/9.1-112\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-112","metadata":false},{"id":67427,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-112.1","catch_line":"Criminal justice training academies; curriculum","url":"\/9.1-112.1\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-112.1","metadata":false},{"id":65278,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-113","catch_line":"Compliance with minimum training standards by certain officers; exceptions","url":"\/9.1-113\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-113","metadata":false},{"id":85516,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-114","catch_line":"Compliance with minimum training standards by officers employed after July 1, 1971, by officers appointed under \u00a7 56-353 after July 1, 1982, and by part-time officers","url":"\/9.1-114\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-114","metadata":false},{"id":68800,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-114.1","catch_line":"Compliance with minimum training standards by school resource officers","url":"\/9.1-114.1\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-114.1","metadata":false},{"id":65771,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-114.2","catch_line":"Compliance with minimum training standards and reporting requirements for detector canine handlers and detector canines","url":"\/9.1-114.2\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-114.2","metadata":false},{"id":69256,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-115","catch_line":"Forfeiture of office for failing to meet training standards; termination of salary and benefits; extension of term","url":"\/9.1-115\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-115","metadata":false},{"id":75493,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116","catch_line":"Exemptions of certain persons from certain training requirements","url":"\/9.1-116\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116","metadata":false},{"id":79920,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.01","catch_line":"Universal certification for certain law-enforcement officers","url":"\/9.1-116.01\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.01","metadata":false},{"id":56880,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.1","catch_line":"Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund; purpose; guidelines","url":"\/9.1-116.1\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.1","metadata":false},{"id":77597,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.10","catch_line":"Surveillance technology reporting by state and local law-enforcement agencies and sheriff's departments","url":"\/9.1-116.10\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.10","metadata":false},{"id":66889,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.2","catch_line":"Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic Violence; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; duties","url":"\/9.1-116.2\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.2","metadata":false},{"id":82950,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.3","catch_line":"Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Program Professional Standards Committee","url":"\/9.1-116.3\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.3","metadata":false},{"id":63814,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.4","catch_line":"Virginia Prevention of Sex Trafficking Fund; purpose; guidelines","url":"\/9.1-116.4\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.4","metadata":false},{"id":69393,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.5","catch_line":"Human Trafficking Response Coordinator; duties; report","url":"\/9.1-116.5\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.5","metadata":false},{"id":87494,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.6","catch_line":"Virginia Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund; purpose; guidelines","url":"\/9.1-116.6\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.6","metadata":false},{"id":59510,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.7","catch_line":"Expired","url":"\/9.1-116.7\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.7","metadata":false},{"id":69496,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.8","catch_line":"Virginia Opioid Use Reduction and Jail-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Transition Fund","url":"\/9.1-116.8\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.8","metadata":false},{"id":74147,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.9","catch_line":"Establishment of Task Force on Fentanyl and Heroin Enforcement","url":"\/9.1-116.9\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.9","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":75493,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116","catch_line":"Exemptions of certain persons from certain training requirements","url":"\/9.1-116\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":56880,"structure_id":13184,"section_number":"9.1-116.1","catch_line":"Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund; purpose; guidelines","url":"\/9.1-116.1\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/9.1-116.01\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2024. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 542<\/a> and 581<\/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.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":78495,"section_number":"15.2-1705","catch_line":"Minimum qualifications; waiver","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-1705\/"},{"id":85175,"section_number":"15.2-1706","catch_line":"Certification through training required for all law-enforcement officers; waiver of requirements","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-1706\/"},{"id":60006,"section_number":"19.2-392.4","catch_line":"Prohibited practices by employers, educational institutions, agencies, etc., of state and local governments","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-392.4\/"},{"id":75493,"section_number":"9.1-116","catch_line":"Exemptions of certain persons from certain training requirements","order_by":null,"url":"\/9.1-116\/"}],"permalink":{"id":284585,"object_type":"law","relational_id":79920,"identifier":"9.1-116.01","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.01","url":"\/9.1-116.01\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/9.1-116.01\/","token":"9.1\/1\/1\/9.1-116.01","dublin_core":{"Title":"Universal certification for certain law-enforcement officers","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 9.1-116.01","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Any sworn law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span> with at least one year of law<\/span>-enforcement experience (i) whose training qualifications meet or exceed current training standards established by the Board<\/span> in accordance with this article and who is in compliance with §§ 15.2-1705<\/a> and 15.2-1706<\/a>, (ii) who has not had a break in service of more than 24 months, and (iii) who is leaving the transferring law<\/span>-enforcement agency in good standing with no pending investigations or disciplinary actions shall be eligible for employment at any law<\/span>-enforcement agency within the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof. Any such law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span> shall complete any other training as determined to be necessary by the Board<\/span> to ensure understanding of the criminal laws<\/span> and all other laws<\/span> of the Commonwealth. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Prior to any conditional offer of employment, the hiring law<\/span>-enforcement agency shall request from all prior employing law<\/span>-enforcement agencies any information (i) related to an arrest<\/span> or prosecution<\/span> of the applicant law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span>, including any expunged arrest<\/span> or criminal charge known to the agency or disclosed during the hiring process that would otherwise be prohibited from disclosure in accordance with § 19.2-392.4<\/a>; (ii) related to a civil suit regarding the applicant law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span>’s employment or performance of his duties; (iii) obtained during the course of any internal investigation related to the applicant law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span>’s alleged criminal conduct, use of excessive force, or other official misconduct in violation of the state professional standards of conduct adopted by the Board<\/span>; and (iv) related to the applicant law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span>’s job performance that led to such officer’s resignation, dismissal<\/span>, demotion, suspension, or transfer. The hiring law<\/span>-enforcement agency shall employ all reasonable means to obtain personnel records for law<\/span>-enforcement officers<\/span> transferring from an out-of-state or federal law<\/span>-enforcement agency, including requiring the applicant law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span> (a) to complete a waiver<\/span> or release liability authorizing the hiring law<\/span>-enforcement agency to request such information as listed in this subsection from all prior employing law<\/span>-enforcement agencies and (b) to provide a full disclosure of any incidents or information that such prior employing law<\/span>-enforcement agencies have been requested to disclose as listed in this subsection.\n\t\t\tUpon the receipt of all requested information by the hiring law<\/span>-enforcement agency, the applicant law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span> shall complete a sworn declaration that the provided information or records are, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, a true, correct, and complete response to such request. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> In addition, the hiring law<\/span>-enforcement agency may require a candidate for employment to undergo a psychological examination, subsequent to a conditional offer of employment, conducted under the supervision of a licensed psychiatrist or a licensed clinical psychologist. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any sworn law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span> may be granted an exemption in accordance with the provisions of § 9.1-116<\/a> and may be subject to the compulsory minimum training standards established by the Board<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nUNIVERSAL CERTIFICATION FOR CERTAIN LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS (\u00a7 9.1-116.01)\n\nA. Any sworn law-enforcement officer with at least one year of law-enforcement\nexperience (i) whose training qualifications meet or exceed current training\nstandards established by the Board in accordance with this article and who is in\ncompliance with §§ 15.2-1705 and 15.2-1706, (ii) who has not had a\nbreak in service of more than 24 months, and (iii) who is leaving the\ntransferring law-enforcement agency in good standing with no pending\ninvestigations or disciplinary actions shall be eligible for employment at any\nlaw-enforcement agency within the Commonwealth or any political subdivision\nthereof. Any such law-enforcement officer shall complete any other training as\ndetermined to be necessary by the Board to ensure understanding of the criminal\nlaws and all other laws of the Commonwealth.\n\nB. Prior to any conditional offer of employment, the hiring law-enforcement\nagency shall request from all prior employing law-enforcement agencies any\ninformation (i) related to an arrest or prosecution of the applicant\nlaw-enforcement officer, including any expunged arrest or criminal charge known\nto the agency or disclosed during the hiring process that would otherwise be\nprohibited from disclosure in accordance with § 19.2-392.4; (ii) related to\na civil suit regarding the applicant law-enforcement officer’s employment\nor performance of his duties; (iii) obtained during the course of any internal\ninvestigation related to the applicant law-enforcement officer’s alleged\ncriminal conduct, use of excessive force, or other official misconduct in\nviolation of the state professional standards of conduct adopted by the Board;\nand (iv) related to the applicant law-enforcement officer’s job\nperformance that led to such officer’s resignation, dismissal, demotion,\nsuspension, or transfer. The hiring law-enforcement agency shall employ all\nreasonable means to obtain personnel records for law-enforcement officers\ntransferring from an out-of-state or federal law-enforcement agency, including\nrequiring the applicant law-enforcement officer (a) to complete a waiver or\nrelease liability authorizing the hiring law-enforcement agency to request such\ninformation as listed in this subsection from all prior employing\nlaw-enforcement agencies and (b) to provide a full disclosure of any incidents\nor information that such prior employing law-enforcement agencies have been\nrequested to disclose as listed in this subsection.\n\t\t\tUpon the receipt of all requested information by the hiring law-enforcement\nagency, the applicant law-enforcement officer shall complete a sworn declaration\nthat the provided information or records are, to the best of the\napplicant’s knowledge, a true, correct, and complete response to such\nrequest.\n\nC. In addition, the hiring law-enforcement agency may require a candidate for\nemployment to undergo a psychological examination, subsequent to a conditional\noffer of employment, conducted under the supervision of a licensed psychiatrist\nor a licensed clinical psychologist.\n\nD. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any sworn law-enforcement\nofficer may be granted an exemption in accordance with the provisions of §\n9.1-116 and may be subject to the compulsory minimum training standards\nestablished by the Board.\n\nHISTORY: 2024, cc. 542, 581.","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}}