Any sheriff or chief of police, any director or chief executive of any agency or department employing deputy sheriffs or law-enforcement officers as defined in § 9.1-101 or jail officers as defined in § 53.1-1, and the Director of the Department of Criminal Justice Services or his designee who discloses information about a former deputy sheriff’s or law-enforcement officer’s or jail officer’s job performance or information requested pursuant to subsection B of § 15.2-1705 to a prospective law-enforcement or jail employer of the former appointee or employee is immune from civil liability for such disclosure or its consequences unless the information disclosed by the former employer was knowingly false or deliberately misleading, was rendered with malicious purpose, or violated any civil right of the former employee or appointee.