Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-102
§540 Investigation of Felonious Killings of State or Local Law Enforcement Officers
Title 28 › PART II — DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE › CHAPTER 33 — FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION › § 540
Summary
The Attorney General and the FBI can investigate when a state or local government official or employee is killed because of their work to stop, find, investigate, or prosecute state or local crimes. They will only do this if the head of the person’s agency asks for the probe and if they follow rules set by the Attorney General or the person the Attorney General names.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §540
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation may investigate felonious killings of officials and employees of a State or political subdivision thereof while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties relating to the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of an offense against the criminal laws of a State or political subdivision, when such investigation is requested by the head of the agency employing the official or employee killed, and under such guidelines as the Attorney General or his designee may establish.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 540
Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102