Title 9.1, Commonwealth Public Safety

Evidence gathered through the conduct of an interrogation that violates the provisions of this chapter shall not be admissible in any administrative hearing against a firefighter or emergency medical services personnel.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the informal counseling of a firefighter or emergency medical services personnel by a supervisor in reference to a minor infraction of policy or procedure that does not result in disciplinary action being taken against the fi…

The rights of firefighters and emergency medical technicians as set forth in this chapter shall not be construed to diminish the rights and privileges of firefighters or emergency medical technicians that are guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution and laws of the United S…

A. This chapter shall be known and designated as the Line of Duty Act. B. As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Beneficiary" means the spouse of a deceased person and such persons as are entitled to take under the will of a deceased person if …

A. There is hereby established a permanent and perpetual fund to be known as the Line of Duty Death and Health Benefits Trust Fund, consisting of such moneys as may be appropriated by the General Assembly; contributions or reimbursements from participating and nonparticipating em…

A. Disabled persons, eligible spouses, and eligible dependents shall be afforded continued health insurance coverage as provided in this section, the cost of which shall be paid by the nonparticipating employer to the Department of Human Resource Management or from the Fund on be…

A state police officer who is a participating employee, as defined in § 51.1-1100, and who incurs a work-related injury in the line of duty, shall receive supplemental short-term disability coverage, pursuant to § 51.1-1121, that provides income replacement for 100 percent of the…

A. The beneficiary of a deceased person whose death occurred on or before December 31, 2005, while in the line of duty as the direct or proximate result of the performance of his duty shall be entitled to receive the sum of $75,000, which shall be paid by the nonparticipating emp…

It is the intent of the General Assembly that expeditious payments for burial expenses be made for deceased persons whose death is determined to be a direct and proximate result of their performance in the line of duty as defined by the Line of Duty Act. Upon the approval of VRS,…

A. Every beneficiary, disabled person or his spouse, or dependent of a deceased or disabled person shall present his claim to the chief officer, or his designee, of the employer for which the disabled or deceased person last worked on forms to be provided by VRS. Upon receipt of …

A. 1. The Virginia Retirement System shall make an eligibility determination within 45 days of receiving all necessary information for determining eligibility for a claim filed under § 9.1-403. The Virginia Retirement System may use a medical board pursuant to § 51.1-124.23 in de…

Any beneficiary, disabled person or eligible spouse or eligible dependent of a deceased or disabled person aggrieved by the decision of VRS may appeal the decision through a process established by VRS. Any such process may utilize a medical board as described in § 51.1-124.23, pr…

Any employee entitled to benefits under this chapter shall receive training within 30 days of his employment, and again every two years thereafter, concerning the benefits available to himself or his beneficiary in case of disability or death in the line of duty. The Virginia Ret…

A. Evidence and documents obtained by or created by, and the report of investigation prepared by, the Department of State Police, the Virginia Retirement System, or the Department of Human Resource Management in carrying out the provisions of this chapter shall (i) be deemed conf…

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Agency" means the Department of State Police, the Division of Capitol Police, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Port Authority, the Department of Wildlife Resources, the Virginia Alcoh…

The provisions of this section shall apply whenever an investigation by an agency focuses on matters which could lead to the dismissal, demotion, suspension or transfer for punitive reasons of a law-enforcement officer: 1. Any questioning of the officer shall take place at a reas…

A. Before any dismissal, demotion, suspension without pay or transfer for punitive reasons may be imposed, the following rights shall be afforded: 1. The law-enforcement officer shall be notified in writing of all charges, the basis therefor, and the action which may be taken; 2.…

No law-enforcement officer shall be required or requested to disclose any item of his property, income, assets, source of income, debts, or personal or domestic expenditures, including those of any member of his family or household, unless (i) such information is necessary in inv…

A. Whenever a law-enforcement officer is dismissed, demoted, suspended or transferred for punitive reasons, he may, within a reasonable amount of time following such action, as set by the agency, request a hearing. If such request is timely made, a hearing shall be held within a …

Nothing in this chapter shall prevent the immediate suspension without pay of any law-enforcement officer whose continued presence on the job is deemed to be a substantial and immediate threat to the welfare of his agency or the public, nor shall anything in this chapter prevent …

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the informal counseling of a law-enforcement officer by a supervisor in reference to a minor infraction of policy or procedure which does not result in disciplinary action being taken against the law-enforcement officer.

A. The rights accorded law-enforcement officers in this chapter are minimum rights and all agencies, unless otherwise provided in this section, shall adopt grievance procedures that are consistent with this chapter. However, an agency may provide for additional rights of law-enfo…

A. State, local, and other public law-enforcement agencies, which have ten or more law-enforcement officers, shall have procedures as established in subsection B, allowing citizen submission of complaints regarding the conduct of the law-enforcement agency, law-enforcement office…

A. 1. As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Law-enforcement agency" means a police department established pursuant to § 15.2-1701 or a campus police department of any public institution of higher education of the Commonwealth employing a law-e…

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Employer" means any political subdivision of the Commonwealth, including any county, city, town, authority, or special district that employs fire protection employees except any locality with five or fewer…

A. Employers shall pay fire protection or law-enforcement employees overtime compensation or leave, as under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 207 (o), at a rate of not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours of work between the s…

Employers may adopt any work period to compute overtime compensation for fire protection or law-enforcement employees between seven and 28 days, provided that the work period is recurring and fixed, and is not changed for purposes of denying overtime compensation to such employee…

For purposes of computing fire protection or law-enforcement employees' entitlement to overtime compensation, all hours that an employee works or is in a paid status during his regularly scheduled work hours shall be counted as hours of work. The provisions of this section pertai…

A. In an action brought under this chapter, an employer who violates the provisions of this chapter shall be liable to the fire protection or law-enforcement employee affected in an amount of double the amount of the unpaid compensation due such employee. However, if the employer…

Actions brought under this chapter shall be commenced within two years of the date the unpaid compensation was due, or if the violation is willful, within three years of the date the unpaid compensation was due.

The immunity of the Commonwealth and of any "agency" as defined in § 8.01-195.2 is hereby preserved.

There is hereby established the Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor. The Governor may award and present the Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor, of appropriate design with ribbons and appurtenances, to a Virginia public safety officer, dispatcher as defined in § 56-48…

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 § 53.1-1; a correctional officer employed at a juvenile correctional facility as the term is…

The purpose of the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry (Registry) shall be to assist the efforts of law-enforcement agencies and others to protect their communities and families from repeat offenders and to protect children from becoming victims of criminal offenders …

A. Every person convicted on or after July 1, 1994, including a juvenile tried and convicted in the circuit court pursuant to § 16.1-269.1, whether sentenced as an adult or juvenile, of an offense set forth in § 9.1-902 and every juvenile found delinquent of an offense for which …

A. For purposes of this chapter: "Murder" means a violation of, attempted violation of, or conspiracy to violate § 18.2-31 or 18.2-32 where the victim is (i) under 15 years of age or (ii) where the victim is at least 15 years of age but under 18 years of age and the murder is rel…

A. Every person convicted, including juveniles tried and convicted in the circuit courts pursuant to § 16.1-269.1, whether sentenced as an adult or juvenile, of an offense for which registration is required and every juvenile found delinquent of an offense for which registration …

A. For purposes of this chapter, "verify his registration information" means that the person required to register has notified the State Police; confirmed his current physical and mailing address and electronic mail address information and any instant message, chat, or other Inte…

A. All persons required to register shall register within three days of establishing a residence in the Commonwealth. B. Nonresident offenders entering the Commonwealth for an extended visit, for employment, to carry on a vocation, or as a student attending school who are require…

A. Persons required to register, reregister, or verify their registration information who are enrolled in or employed at institutions of higher education shall, in addition to other registration requirements, indicate on their registration, reregistration, and verification form t…

Any person required to register or reregister who enters any place or facility that is designated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof as an emergency shelter and operated in response to a state or local emergency declared pursuant to Chapter 3.2 (§ 44-146.13 …

A. Whenever it appears from the records of the State Police that a person has failed to comply with the duty to register, reregister, or verify his registration information, the State Police shall promptly investigate and, if there is probable cause to believe a violation has occ…

Any person required to register, reregister, or verify his registration information shall be required to register until the duty to register, reregister, or verify his registration information is terminated by a court order as set forth in § 9.1-910, except that any person who ha…

A. Upon expiration of three years from the date upon which the duty to register as a Tier III offender or murderer is imposed, the person required to register may petition the court in which he was convicted or, if the conviction occurred outside of the Commonwealth, the circuit …

A. Any person required to register, other than a person who has been convicted of any (i) Tier III offense, (ii) two or more offenses for which registration is required, (iii) a violation of former § 18.2-67.2:1, or (iv) murder, may petition the circuit court in which he was conv…

The Registry shall include conviction data received from the courts, including the disposition records for juveniles tried and convicted in the circuit courts pursuant to § 16.1-269.1, on convictions for offenses for which registration is required and registrations, reregistratio…