Title 9.1, Commonwealth Public Safety

The Board shall have full regulatory authority and oversight of property and surety bail bondsmen. The Board shall adopt regulations that are necessary to ensure respectable, responsible, safe and effective bail bonding within the Commonwealth. The Board's regulations shall inclu…

A. In addition to the powers otherwise conferred upon it by law, the Department may (i) charge each applicant for licensure a nonrefundable fee as established by the Board to cover the costs of processing an application for licensure, enforcement of the regulations, and other cos…

A. In order to be licensed as a bail bondsman a person shall (i) be 18 years of age or older, (ii) have received a high school diploma or passed a high school equivalency examination approved by the Board of Education, and (iii) have successfully completed the bail bondsman exam …

A. An applicant for a bail bondsman license shall apply for such license in a form and manner prescribed by the Board, and containing any information the Board requires. B. Prior to the issuance of any bail bondsman license, each bondsman applicant shall: 1. File with the Departm…

A. A license granted to a bondsman by the Department shall authorize such person to enter into bonds, as defined in § 19.2-119, in any county or city in the Commonwealth. B. Every bail bondsman license issued pursuant to this article shall be for a term of two years. C. A bail bo…

A. All nonresident transfers and applicants for a bail bondsman license shall satisfy all licensing requirements for residents of the Commonwealth. B. For the purposes of this article, any individual whose physical place of residence and physical place of business are in a county…

A. Any violations of the restrictions or standards under this statute shall be grounds for placing on probation, refusal to issue or renew, sanctioning, suspension or revocation of the bail bondsman's license. A licensed bail bondsman is responsible for ensuring that his employee…

A. Only licensed bail bondsmen shall be authorized to solicit bail bond business in the Commonwealth. B. A licensed bail bondsman shall not: 1. Solicit bail bond business by directly initiating contact with any person in any court, jail, lock-up, or surrounding government propert…

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Bail enforcement agent," also known as "bounty hunter," means any individual engaged in bail recovery. "Bail recovery" means an act whereby a person arrests a bailee with the object of surrendering the bai…

The provisions of this article shall not apply to licensed bail bondsmen nor to law-enforcement officers.

A. A bail enforcement agent shall not wear, carry, or display any uniform, badge, shield, or other insignia or emblem that implies he is an agent of state, local, or federal government. B. A bail enforcement agent shall wear or display only identification issued by, or whose desi…

A. Each licensed bail enforcement agent shall report within 10 calendar days to the Department any change in his residence, name, or business name or business address, and ensure that the Department has the names and fictitious names of all companies under which he carries out hi…

A. During the recovery of a bailee, a bail enforcement agent shall have a copy of the relevant recognizance for the bailee. He shall also have written authorization from the bailee's bondsman, obtained prior to effecting the capture. The Department shall develop the written autho…

Any person who engages in bail recovery in the Commonwealth without a valid license issued by the Department is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A third conviction under this section is a Class 6 felony. Any person who violates any statute or Board regulation who is not criminall…

A. The Board shall have full regulatory authority and oversight of bail enforcement agents. B. The Board shall adopt regulations establishing compulsory minimum, entry-level and in-service training and education for bail enforcement agents. The regulations may include provisions …

A. In addition to the powers otherwise conferred upon it by law, the Department may charge each applicant for licensure or licensee a nonrefundable fee as established by the Board to (i) cover the costs of processing an application for licensure, enforcement of the regulations, a…

A. In order to be licensed as a bail enforcement agent a person shall (i) be 21 years of age or older, (ii) have received a high school diploma or passed a high school equivalency examination approved by the Board of Education, and (iii) have satisfactorily completed a basic cert…

A. An applicant for a bail enforcement license shall apply for such license in a form and manner prescribed by the Board, and containing any information the Board requires. B. Prior to the issuance of any bail enforcement agent license, each applicant shall: 1. File with the Depa…

A. A license granted to a bail enforcement agent by the Department shall authorize such person to engage in the business of bail recovery. B. Every bail enforcement agent license issued pursuant to this article shall be for a term of two years. C. A bail enforcement agent license…

A. All nonresident transfers and applicants for a bail enforcement agent license shall satisfy all licensing requirements for residents of the Commonwealth. B. For the purposes of this article, any individual whose physical place of residence and physical place of business are in…

A. Any violations of the restrictions or standards under subsection B shall be grounds for placing on probation, refusal to issue or renew, sanctioning, suspension or revocation of the bail enforcement agent's license. A licensed bail enforcement agent is responsible for ensuring…

A. If a bail enforcement agent chooses to carry a firearm, either concealed or visible, in the course of his duties, he shall be required to: 1. First complete basic firearms training, as defined by the Board; and 2. Receive ongoing in-service firearms training, as defined by the…

A. By January 1, 2010, the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, utilizing such federal or state funding as may be available for this purpose, shall support the development and establishment of crisis intervent…

The Department, in consultation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, and law-enforcement, brain injury, and mental health stakeholders, shall develop a crisis intervention training program divid…

Each crisis intervention team shall develop a protocol that permits law-enforcement officers to release a person with mental illness, substance abuse problems, or both, whom they encounter in crisis situations from their custody when the crisis intervention team has determined th…

The Department, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, shall assess and report on the impact and effectiveness of the crisis intervention team programs in meeting the program goals. The assessment shall include, but not be limited to, consideration of…

A. The Department shall establish the Virginia Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Coordination Program (the Program). The Program shall be headed by a coordinator (the Coordinator). The Coordinator shall: 1. Create and coordinate an annual statewide sexual assault forensic nurse ex…

A. The Department shall periodically access the Community Policing Reporting Database, which is maintained by the Department of State Police pursuant to § 52-30.3, for the purposes of analyzing the data to determine the existence and prevalence of the practice of bias-based profi…

A. For the purposes of this section: "Correctional facility" includes any local, regional, state, or juvenile correctional facility. "Law-enforcement agency" means any sheriff's office, police department, or other agency or department that employs persons who have law-enforcement…

A. As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Area" means a combination of one or more localities or institutions of higher education contained therein that may have law-enforcement officers as defined in § 9.1-101. "Body-worn camera system" means …

In addition to the definitions set forth in § 9.1-101, as used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Special conservator of the peace" means any individual appointed pursuant to § 19.2-13 on or after September 15, 2004.

The Board shall adopt regulations establishing compulsory minimum, entry-level, in-service, and advanced training standards for special conservators of the peace. The regulations may include provisions delegating to the Board's staff the right to inspect the facilities and progra…

A. In addition to the powers otherwise conferred upon it by law, the Department may (i) charge each applicant for registration a nonrefundable fee as established by the Board to cover the costs of the Department for processing an application for registration, and enforcement of t…

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to (i) misrepresent facts in an application for registration; (ii) willfully refuse to furnish the Department information or records required or requested pursuant to statute or regulation; or (iii) violate any statute or regulation governin…

There is created a Department of Fire Programs that shall be headed by a Director who shall be appointed by the Governor to serve at his pleasure. The Department shall be the designated state agency to receive and disburse any funds available to the Commonwealth under the Federal…

The Executive Director shall have the following powers to: 1. Supervise the administration of the Department; 2. Prepare, approve, and submit all requests for appropriations and be responsible for all expenditures pursuant to appropriations; 3. Employ such staff as is necessary t…

A. The Virginia Fire Services Board (the Board) is established as a policy board within the meaning of § 2.2-2100 in the executive branch of state government. The Board shall consist of 15 members to be appointed by the Governor as follows: a representative of the insurance indus…

A. The Board shall have the responsibility for promoting the coordination of the efforts of fire service organizations at the state and local levels. To these ends, it shall have the following powers and duties to: 1. Ensure the development and implementation of the Virginia Fire…

A. Each fire department as defined in § 27-6.01 shall develop curricula for mental health awareness training for its personnel, which shall include training regarding the following: 1. Understanding signs and symptoms of cumulative stress, depression, anxiety, exposure to acute a…

A. Each fire department as defined in § 27-6.01 shall develop curricula for Alzheimer's disease and dementia training for its personnel, which shall include training regarding the following: the identification of, communication with, and facilitation of the safe return of individ…

A. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Department of Fire Programs, after approval by the Board, may allocate available funds to counties, cities, and towns within the Commonwealth for the purpose of assisting such counties, cities, towns and volunteer fire companies in the…

A. From only such funds as are appropriated from the general fund by the General Assembly for this purpose and from such gifts, donations, grants, bequests and other funds as may be received on its behalf, there is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund …

The Executive Director of Fire Programs shall employ a State Fire Marshal and other personnel necessary to carry out the provisions of the Statewide Fire Prevention Code (§ 27-94 et seq.). The State Fire Marshal and other personnel employed pursuant to this section shall be selec…

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the State Fire Marshal, upon presenting appropriate credentials, shall make annual inspections for hazards incident to fire in all (i) residential care facilities operated by any state agency, (ii) assisted living facilities l…

A. For purposes of this section, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Class B firefighting foam" means a foam designed for flammable liquid fires. "Local government" includes any locality, fire district, regional fire protection authority, or other special purpose di…

A. As used in this section: "Acquired structure" means a building or structure acquired by local government from a property owner for the purpose of conducting live fire training evolutions. "Class A fuel materials" includes wood, straw, and paper products. "Fire training activit…