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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>71626</law_id><section_number>9.1-146</section_number><catch_line>Limitation on powers of registered armed security officers</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="9.1">Commonwealth Public Safety</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="1">Department of Criminal Justice Services</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Private Security Services Businesses</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Compliance with the provisions of this article shall not itself authorize any person to carry a concealed weapon or exercise any powers of a conservator of the peace. A registered <span class="dictionary">armed security officer</span> of a <span class="dictionary">private security services business</span> while at a location which the business is contracted to protect shall have the power to effect an <span class="dictionary">arrest</span> for an <span class="dictionary">offense</span> occurring (i) in his presence on such premises or (ii) in the presence of a merchant, agent, or employee of the merchant the private security business has contracted to protect, if the merchant, agent, or employee had <span class="dictionary">probable cause</span> to believe that the person arrested had shoplifted or committed willful concealment of goods as contemplated by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="&quot;Agents of the merchant&quot; defined" href="/18.2-106/">18.2-106</a>. For the purposes of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Issuance and service of summons in place of warrant in misdemeanor case; issuance of summons by special conservators of the peace" href="/19.2-74/">19.2-74</a>, a registered <span class="dictionary">armed security officer</span> of a <span class="dictionary">private security services business</span> shall be considered an arresting officer.</p></section></text><history>1976, c. 737, &#xA7; 54-729.33; 1978, c. 560, &#xA7; 54.1-1907; 1980, c. 425; 1988, cc. 48, 765; 1992, c. 578, &#xA7; 9-183.8; 1994, c. 45; 2001, c. 844.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
