{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/9.1-801.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/9.1-801.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/9.1-801.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/9.1-801.html"}],"law_id":54070,"edition_id":1,"section_id":54070,"structure_id":12990,"section_number":"9.1-801","catch_line":"Public safety officer defined","history":"2002, c. 150; 2007, c. 87; 2011, cc. 572, 586; 2014, c. 225; 2015, cc. 38, 502, 503, 730.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, the term “public safety officer” includes a law-enforcement officer of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions; a correctional officer as defined in \u00a7 53.1-1; a correctional officer employed at a juvenile correctional facility as the term is defined in \u00a7 66-25.3; a jail officer; a regional jail or jail farm superintendent; a member of any fire company or department or nonprofit or volunteer emergency medical services agency that has been recognized by an ordinance or resolution of the governing body of any county, city, or town of the Commonwealth as an integral part of the official safety program of such county, city, or town; an arson investigator; a member of the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force while such a member is serving in the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force on official state duty or federal duty under Title 32 of the United States Code; any special agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; any police agent appointed under the provisions of \u00a7 56-353; any regular or special conservation police officer who receives compensation from a county, city, or town or from the Commonwealth appointed pursuant to \u00a7 29.1-200; any commissioned forest warden appointed pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-1135; any member or employee of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission granted the power to arrest pursuant to \u00a7 28.2-900; any Department of Emergency Management hazardous materials officer; any nonfirefighter regional hazardous materials emergency response team member; any investigator who is a full-time sworn member of the security division of the Virginia Lottery; any full-time sworn member of the enforcement division of the Department of Motor Vehicles meeting the Department of Criminal Justice Services qualifications, when fulfilling duties pursuant to \u00a7 46.2-217; any campus police officer appointed under the provisions of Article 3 (\u00a7 23.1-809 et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 23.1; and any conservation officer of the Department of Conservation and Recreation commissioned pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-115.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":198492,"text":"As used in this chapter, the term “public safety officer” includes a law-enforcement officer of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions; a correctional officer as defined in \u00a7 53.1-1; a correctional officer employed at a juvenile correctional facility as the term is defined in \u00a7 66-25.3; a jail officer; a regional jail or jail farm superintendent; a member of any fire company or department or nonprofit or volunteer emergency medical services agency that has been recognized by an ordinance or resolution of the governing body of any county, city, or town of the Commonwealth as an integral part of the official safety program of such county, city, or town; an arson investigator; a member of the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force while such a member is serving in the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force on official state duty or federal duty under Title 32 of the United States Code; any special agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; any police agent appointed under the provisions of \u00a7 56-353; any regular or special conservation police officer who receives compensation from a county, city, or town or from the Commonwealth appointed pursuant to \u00a7 29.1-200; any commissioned forest warden appointed pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-1135; any member or employee of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission granted the power to arrest pursuant to \u00a7 28.2-900; any Department of Emergency Management hazardous materials officer; any nonfirefighter regional hazardous materials emergency response team member; any investigator who is a full-time sworn member of the security division of the Virginia Lottery; any full-time sworn member of the enforcement division of the Department of Motor Vehicles meeting the Department of Criminal Justice Services qualifications, when fulfilling duties pursuant to \u00a7 46.2-217; any campus police officer appointed under the provisions of Article 3 (\u00a7 23.1-809 et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 23.1; and any conservation officer of the Department of Conservation and Recreation commissioned pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-115.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":12990,"edition_id":1,"name":"Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor Act","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12896,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:07","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:07","permalink":{"id":285477,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12990,"identifier":"8","token":"9.1\/8","url":"\/9.1\/8\/","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":70639,"structure_id":12990,"section_number":"9.1-800","catch_line":"Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor","url":"\/9.1-800\/","token":"9.1\/8\/9.1-800","metadata":false},{"id":54070,"structure_id":12990,"section_number":"9.1-801","catch_line":"Public safety officer defined","url":"\/9.1-801\/","token":"9.1\/8\/9.1-801","metadata":false},{"id":71619,"structure_id":12990,"section_number":"9.1-802","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/9.1-802\/","token":"9.1\/8\/9.1-802","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":70639,"structure_id":12990,"section_number":"9.1-800","catch_line":"Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor","url":"\/9.1-800\/","token":"9.1\/8\/9.1-800","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":71619,"structure_id":12990,"section_number":"9.1-802","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/9.1-802\/","token":"9.1\/8\/9.1-802","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/9.1-801\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2002. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 150<\/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 4 times. 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. Those modifications are as follows: in 2007, chapter 87<\/a>; in 2011, chapters 572<\/a> and 586<\/a>; in 2014, chapter 225<\/a>; in 2015, chapters 38<\/a>, 502<\/a>, 503<\/a>, and 730<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":73641,"section_number":"65.2-301.1","catch_line":"Public safety officers","order_by":null,"url":"\/65.2-301.1\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":87311,"section_number":"10.1-1135","catch_line":"Appointment and compensation of forest wardens; oath; powers","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1135\/"},{"id":62641,"section_number":"10.1-115","catch_line":"Appointment of conservation officers; qualifications; oath","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-115\/"},{"id":60667,"section_number":"23.1-809","catch_line":"Public institutions of higher education; establishment of campus police departments authorized; employment of officers","order_by":null,"url":"\/23.1-809\/"},{"id":78933,"section_number":"28.2-900","catch_line":"Arrest with or without warrant; larceny; violations of boating laws and Title 62.1","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-900\/"},{"id":61271,"section_number":"29.1-200","catch_line":"Appointment of conservation police officers","order_by":null,"url":"\/29.1-200\/"},{"id":77591,"section_number":"46.2-217","catch_line":"Enforcement of laws by Commissioner; authority of officers","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-217\/"},{"id":85635,"section_number":"53.1-1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/53.1-1\/"},{"id":79077,"section_number":"56-353","catch_line":"Railroad company may appoint police agents","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-353\/"},{"id":62593,"section_number":"66-25.3","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/66-25.3\/"}],"permalink":{"id":285483,"object_type":"law","relational_id":54070,"identifier":"9.1-801","token":"9.1\/8\/9.1-801","url":"\/9.1-801\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/9.1-801\/","token":"9.1\/8\/9.1-801","dublin_core":{"Title":"Public safety officer defined","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 9.1-801","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, the term “public safety officer” includes a law<\/span>-enforcement officer of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions; a correctional officer as defined in \u00a7 53.1-1<\/a>; a correctional officer employed at a juvenile correctional facility as the term is defined in \u00a7 66-25.3<\/a>; a jail officer; a regional jail or jail farm superintendent; a member of any fire company or department or nonprofit or volunteer emergency medical services agency that has been recognized by an ordinance<\/span> or resolution of the governing body of any county, city, or town of the Commonwealth as an integral part of the official safety program of such county, city, or town; an arson<\/span> investigator; a member of the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force while such a member is serving in the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia Defense Force on official state duty or federal duty under Title 32 of the United States Code; any special agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; any police agent appointed under the provisions of \u00a7 56-353<\/a>; any regular or special conservation police officer who receives compensation from a county, city, or town or from the Commonwealth appointed pursuant to \u00a7 29.1-200<\/a>; any commissioned forest warden appointed pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-1135<\/a>; any member or employee of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission granted the power to arrest<\/span> pursuant to \u00a7 28.2-900<\/a>; any Department of Emergency Management hazardous materials<\/span> officer; any nonfirefighter regional hazardous materials<\/span> emergency response team member; any investigator who is a full-time sworn member of the security division of the Virginia Lottery; any full-time sworn member of the enforcement division of the Department of Motor Vehicles meeting the Department of Criminal Justice Services qualifications, when fulfilling duties pursuant to \u00a7 46.2-217<\/a>; any campus police officer appointed under the provisions of Article 3 (\u00a7 23.1-809<\/a> et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 23.1; and any conservation officer of the Department of Conservation and Recreation commissioned pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-115<\/a>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER DEFINED (\u00a7 9.1-801)\n\nAs used in this chapter, the term “public safety officer” includes a\nlaw-enforcement officer of the Commonwealth or any of its political\nsubdivisions; a correctional officer as defined in \u00a7 53.1-1; a correctional\nofficer employed at a juvenile correctional facility as the term is defined in\n\u00a7 66-25.3; a jail officer; a regional jail or jail farm superintendent; a\nmember of any fire company or department or nonprofit or volunteer emergency\nmedical services agency that has been recognized by an ordinance or resolution\nof the governing body of any county, city, or town of the Commonwealth as an\nintegral part of the official safety program of such county, city, or town; an\narson investigator; a member of the Virginia National Guard or the Virginia\nDefense Force while such a member is serving in the Virginia National Guard or\nthe Virginia Defense Force on official state duty or federal duty under Title 32\nof the United States Code; any special agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage\nControl Authority; any police agent appointed under the provisions of \u00a7 56-353;\nany regular or special conservation police officer who receives compensation\nfrom a county, city, or town or from the Commonwealth appointed pursuant to \u00a7\n29.1-200; any commissioned forest warden appointed pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-1135; any\nmember or employee of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission granted the power\nto arrest pursuant to \u00a7 28.2-900; any Department of Emergency Management\nhazardous materials officer; any nonfirefighter regional hazardous materials\nemergency response team member; any investigator who is a full-time sworn member\nof the security division of the Virginia Lottery; any full-time sworn member of\nthe enforcement division of the Department of Motor Vehicles meeting the\nDepartment of Criminal Justice Services qualifications, when fulfilling duties\npursuant to \u00a7 46.2-217; any campus police officer appointed under the\nprovisions of Article 3 (\u00a7 23.1-809 et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 23.1; and\nany conservation officer of the Department of Conservation and Recreation\ncommissioned pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-115.\n\nHISTORY: 2002, c. 150; 2007, c. 87; 2011, cc. 572, 586; 2014, c. 225; 2015, cc.\n38, 502, 503, 730.","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}}