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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>65694</law_id><section_number>15.2-1707</section_number><catch_line>Decertification of law-enforcement officers and jail officers</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>15.2-1708</reference><reference>18.2-474.2</reference><reference>19.2-83.7</reference><reference>52-9.1:1</reference><reference>9.1-102</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="15.2">Counties, Cities and Towns</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Powers of Local Government</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="17">Police and Public Order</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">General Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> The sheriff, chief of police, or agency administrator or their designee shall notify the Criminal Justice Services Board (the Board) in writing within 48 hours of becoming aware that any certified <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement or jail officer currently employed by his agency has (i) been convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> or any <span class="dictionary">offense</span> that would be a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> if committed in the Commonwealth; (ii) been convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> involving <span class="dictionary">moral turpitude</span> or any <span class="dictionary">offense</span> that would be any <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> involving <span class="dictionary">moral turpitude</span>, including but not limited to petit <span class="dictionary">larceny</span> under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Petit larceny defined; how punished" href="/18.2-96/">18.2-96</a>, or any <span class="dictionary">offense</span> involving <span class="dictionary">moral turpitude</span> that would be a <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> if committed in the Commonwealth; (iii) been convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to any <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> sex <span class="dictionary">offense</span> in the Commonwealth, another state, or the United States, including but not limited to sexual <span class="dictionary">battery</span> under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Sexual battery" href="/18.2-67.4/">18.2-67.4</a> or consensual sexual intercourse with a <span class="dictionary">minor</span> 15 years of age or older under clause (ii) of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent, abused, etc.; penalty; abandoned infant" href="/18.2-371/">18.2-371</a>; (iv) been convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to domestic <span class="dictionary">assault</span> under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Assault and battery against a family or household member; penalty" href="/18.2-57.2/">18.2-57.2</a> or any <span class="dictionary">offense</span> that would be domestic <span class="dictionary">assault</span> under the <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of another state or the United States; (v) failed to comply with or maintain compliance with mandated training requirements; or (vi) refused to submit to a drug screening or has produced a positive result on a drug screening reported to the employing agency, where the positive result cannot be explained to the agency administrator&#x2019;s satisfaction. <a id="paragraph-238768" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/15.2-1707/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The sheriff, chief of police, or agency administrator or their designee shall notify the Board in writing if any certified <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement or jail officer currently employed by his agency (i) is terminated or resigns in advance of being convicted or found guilty of an <span class="dictionary">offense</span> set forth in clause (i) of subsection A that requires decertification, (ii) is terminated or resigns in advance of a pending drug screening, (iii) is terminated or resigns for a violation of state or federal <span class="dictionary">law</span>, including those instances when a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> for a violation of state or federal <span class="dictionary">law</span> is terminated as a result of such <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement or jail officer resigning from his position, (iv) is terminated or resigns for engaging in serious misconduct as defined in statewide professional standards of conduct adopted by the Board, (v) is terminated or resigns while such officer is the subject of a pending internal investigation involving serious misconduct as defined in statewide professional standards of conduct adopted by the Board, (vi) is terminated or resigns for an act committed while in the performance of or in relation to his duties that compromises an officer&#x2019;s credibility, integrity, or honesty, or (vii) is terminated or resigns for an act committed while in the performance of his duties that constitutes exculpatory or <span class="dictionary">impeachment</span> <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> in a criminal case. Such notification shall be given within 48 hours of a termination or resignation pursuant to clause (i), (ii), or (iii) or within 48 hours of the completion of an internal investigation for a termination or resignation pursuant to clauses (iv) through (vii). <a id="paragraph-238769" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/15.2-1707/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Persons currently in a recruit or field training status who have not completed all certification requirements, pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Minimum qualifications; waiver" href="/15.2-1705/">15.2-1705</a>, and who have committed an act that would be any basis for decertification as set forth in subsection A or B shall be considered ineligible for certification and shall be considered decertified. The employing agency of such person shall notify the Board in accordance with subsection A or B. <a id="paragraph-238770" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/15.2-1707/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> The notification, where appropriate, shall be accompanied by a copy of the <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> of <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>. <a id="paragraph-238771" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/15.2-1707/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> Upon receiving such notice from the sheriff, chief of police, or agency administrator or their designee, or from an attorney for the Commonwealth, the Board shall immediately decertify such <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement or jail officer. Such officer shall not have the right to serve as a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement, jail, courthouse security, or civil process officer within the Commonwealth until his certification has been reinstated by the Board pursuant to subsection E of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Notice of decertification; decertification review process" href="/15.2-1708/">15.2-1708</a> or through the decertification review process in accordance with &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Notice of decertification; decertification review process" href="/15.2-1708/">15.2-1708</a>. <a id="paragraph-238772" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/15.2-1707/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> The Department of Criminal Justice Services is hereby authorized to <span class="dictionary">waive</span> the requirements for decertification as set out in subsection A or B for good cause shown. <a id="paragraph-238773" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/15.2-1707/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="G"><p><span class="prefix-number">G.</span> The Board may decertify a current or former <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement or jail officer if the Board has found that any basis for the officer&#x2019;s decertification set forth in subsection A or B exists. Such officer shall not have the right to serve as a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement, jail, courthouse security, or civil process officer within the Commonwealth until his certification has been reinstated by the Board pursuant to subsection E of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Notice of decertification; decertification review process" href="/15.2-1708/">15.2-1708</a> or through the decertification review process in accordance with &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Notice of decertification; decertification review process" href="/15.2-1708/">15.2-1708</a>. <a id="paragraph-238774" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/15.2-1707/#G"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1994, cc. 850, 905, &#xA7; 15.1-131.8:2; 1995, c. 112; 1997, c. 587; 2013, cc. 307, 468; 2017, c. 496; 2020, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 27, 37; 2024, c. 494.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
