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Chapter 1 - Department of State Police
§ 52-1. Establishment of Department headed by Superintendent; Bureau of Criminal Investigation and division of drug law enforcement and investigation within Department - There is hereby established as a separate department, a Department...
§ 52-2. Appointment of Superintendent and term of office - The Superintendent of State Police shall be appointed by the...
§ 52-3. Oath, bond, and salary of Superintendent - The Superintendent of State Police, before entering upon the discharge...
§ 52-4. Functions of Department - The highway patrol, or state police patrol as it is...
§ 52-4.1. Repealed - Repealed by Acts 1968, c. 722.
§ 52-4.2. Department of Motor Vehicles to publish statistical information, and conduct research and experiments; copies to be furnished by Department to Commonwealth's attorneys - (a) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall tabulate and analyze...
§ 52-4.3. Drug Investigation Special Trust Account - A. There is hereby created in the Department of the...
§ 52-4.4. Duties relating to criminal history record information checks required by licensed firearms dealers - The Superintendent of the Department of State Police shall establish...
§ 52-4.5. (Effective until July 1, 2026) Facial recognition technology; authorized uses; Department to establish a State Police Model Facial Recognition Technology Policy; penalty - A. For purposes of this section: "Authorized use" means the...
§ 52-5. Repealed - Repealed by Acts 1978, c. 470.
§ 52-6. Appointment of additional police officers - The Superintendent of State Police, with the approval of the...
§ 52-6.1. Appointment of supervisory officers - All appointments to sworn police positions above the rank of...
§ 52-7. Bonds of police officers; liability insurance policies - All police officers appointed by the Superintendent of State Police,...
§ 52-8. Powers and duties to enforce criminal laws and investigate aircraft accidents - The Superintendent of State Police, his several assistants and police...
§ 52-8.1. Powers and duties of Bureau of Criminal Investigation - In addition to any other powers and duties which may...
§ 52-8.1:1. Powers and duties of a drug law enforcement and investigation division - A. In addition to any other powers and duties which...
§ 52-8.2. Certain investigations of elected officials; immunity for witnesses - A. No investigation of an elected official of the Commonwealth...
§ 52-8.3. Disclosure of criminal investigative records and reports; penalty - Any person employed by a law-enforcement agency or other governmental...
§ 52-8.4. Powers and duties to promulgate regulations; inspection of certain records - A. The Superintendent of State Police, with the cooperation of...
§ 52-8.4:1. Regulations for firearms shows - The Superintendent of State Police shall provide a form for...
§ 52-8.4:2. Certain offenses to be considered traffic infractions - Notwithstanding subsection C of § 52-8.4, any violation of any...
§ 52-8.5. Reporting hate crimes - A. The Superintendent shall establish and maintain within the Department...
§ 52-8.6. Criminal street gang reporting - When it is determined, by a state or local law-enforcement...
§ 52-9. Administration of oaths; acknowledgments and affidavits; summoning witnesses in certain cases - A. All police officers appointed by the Superintendent are vested...
§ 52-9.1. Distinctive uniform to be adopted for State police officers - The Superintendent of State Police shall cause to be designed...
§ 52-9.1:1. Retired and former law-enforcement officers; retention of badge - A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, on...
§ 52-9.2. Wearing of same or similar uniforms by other persons - When such official uniform has been adopted by the Superintendent,...
§ 52-10. Fees and rewards - No court in the Commonwealth shall in any case, in...
§ 52-11. Defense of police officers - If any police officer appointed by the Superintendent of State...
§ 52-11.1. State Health Commissioner to cooperate - The State Health Commissioner shall cause to be furnished to...
§ 52-11.2. Services of State Police in areas of counties that have merged, consolidated or been annexed into cities - When a county or city merges or consolidates into a...
§ 52-11.3. Acquisition of military property - A. The Superintendent of State Police is authorized to apply...
§ 52-11.4. Disposal of unclaimed property in the possession of State Police; exemption from the Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act - The Department of State Police may provide for (i) the...
§ 52-11.5. Disposal of unclaimed firearms or other weapons in possession of the State Police - Subject to the provisions of § 19.2-386.29, the State Police...
§ 52-11.6. Arrest or summons quota prohibited - A. The Department of State Police shall not establish a...
Chapter 2 - State Police Communication System
§ 52-12. Establishment of State Police communication system - There shall be established in the Department of State Police...
§ 52-13. Installation, operation, and maintenance of system; personnel - The Superintendent of State Police is authorized to install, operate,...
§ 52-14. Availability of system - The communication system provided for in this chapter may be...
§ 52-15. Control of system; orders, rules, or regulations - The communication system shall remain at all times under the...
Chapter 3 - Joint State and Local Police Communication System
§ 52-16. Governor may establish and maintain joint communication system to aid police - The Governor may establish, purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire all...
§ 52-17. Contracts with counties, cities, and towns - In order to make the communication system effective and of...
§ 52-18. Districts - The Governor may divide the Commonwealth into two or more...
§ 52-19. Rules and regulations - The Governor may make and issue reasonable rules and regulations...
Chapter 4 - Arrests by State Police
§ 52-20. Arrests without warrants in certain cases - A. For the purposes of this section, "electronic communication" means...
§ 52-21. Procedure after arrest without warrant - Except in the case of a violation of a provision...
§ 52-22. Arrests for violations of ordinances - The Superintendent of State Police, his assistants, and the State...
Chapter 5 - Investigators and Special State Police Officers
§ 52-23. Appointment by Governor; power and jurisdiction - The Governor may appoint whenever he deems the same necessary,...
§ 52-24. Compensation - Such investigators and temporary special police officers shall be paid...
Chapter 6 - Uniform Crime Reporting Program
§ 52-25. Uniform crime reporting system established - The Superintendent shall establish, organize, equip, staff and maintain within...
§ 52-25.1. Reporting and return of firearms confiscated or recovered by law-enforcement agencies - A. Whenever a law-enforcement agency confiscates a firearm in connection...
§ 52-26. Cooperation with other law-enforcement agencies - The Superintendent is authorized to maintain liaison and to cooperate...
§ 52-27. Aid to reporting agencies - The Department shall render all necessary aid and assistance to...
§ 52-28. Duty of Commonwealth and local agencies to make reports - All Commonwealth, county and municipal law-enforcement agencies shall submit to...
§ 52-28.1. Reporting of gang-related criminal information; inclusion in annual Crime in Virginia report - The Department of State Police shall include arrest statistics for...
§ 52-28.2. Reporting of officer-involved shootings; inclusion in annual Crime in Virginia report - The Department of State Police shall include any officer-involved shooting...
§ 52-29. Rules and regulations for form, etc. - The Superintendent shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations prescribing...
§ 52-30. Reports to Federal Bureau of Investigation - The Department shall correlate reports submitted to it and shall...
Chapter 6.1 - Virginia Community Policing Act
§ 52-30.1. Definition - For purposes of this chapter, unless the context requires a...
§ 52-30.2. Prohibited practices; collection of data - A. No State Police officer shall engage in bias-based profiling...
§ 52-30.3. Community Policing Reporting Database established - A. The Department of State Police shall develop and implement...
§ 52-30.4. Reporting of state and local law-enforcement agencies required - All state and local law-enforcement agencies shall collect the data...
Chapter 7 - Missing Children Information Clearinghouse
§ 52-31. Missing Children Information Clearinghouse established - The Superintendent shall establish, organize, equip, staff and maintain within...
§ 52-31.1. Superintendent to establish network - The Superintendent of State Police shall establish a network to...
§ 52-32. Definitions - As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise...
§ 52-33. Powers and duties of Clearinghouse - The Clearinghouse shall have the following powers and duties: 1....
§ 52-34. Notification required when missing child located - Any law-enforcement officer who has reported a missing child to...
Chapter 7.1 - Virginia Amber Alert Program
§ 52-34.1. Definitions - As used in this chapter: "Abducted child" means a child...
§ 52-34.2. Establishment of the Virginia Amber Alert Program - The Virginia State Police shall develop policies for the establishment...
§ 52-34.3. Activation of Amber Alert Program upon an incident of child abduction - A. Upon receipt of a notice of a child abduction...
Chapter 7.2 - Virginia Senior Alert Program
§ 52-34.4. Definitions - As used in this chapter: "Media" means print, radio, television,...
§ 52-34.5. Establishment of the Virginia Senior Alert Program - The Virginia State Police shall develop policies for the establishment...
§ 52-34.6. Activation of Senior Alert Program upon an incident of a missing senior adult - A. Upon receipt of a notice of a missing senior...
Chapter 7.3 - Virginia Blue Alert Program
§ 52-34.7. Definitions - As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a...
§ 52-34.8. Establishment of the Virginia Blue Alert Program - The Department of State Police shall establish a Blue Alert...
§ 52-34.9. Activation of Blue Alert Program - A. Upon notification by a law-enforcement agency that a suspect...
Chapter 7.4 - Virginia Critically Missing Adult Alert Program
§ 52-34.10. Definitions - As used in this chapter: "Critically missing adult" means an...
§ 52-34.11. Establishment of the Virginia Critically Missing Adult Alert Program - The Virginia State Police shall develop policies for the establishment...
§ 52-34.12. Activation of Critically Missing Adult Alert Program upon an incident of a critically missing adult - A. Upon receipt of a notice of a critically missing...
Chapter 7.5 - Virginia Missing Person with Autism Alert Program
§ 52-34.13. Definitions - As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a...
§ 52-34.14. Establishment of the Virginia Missing Person with Autism Alert Program - The Virginia State Police shall develop policies for the establishment...
§ 52-34.15. Activation of Virginia Missing Person with Autism Alert Program upon incident of a missing person with autism - A. Upon receipt of a notice of a missing person...
Chapter 7.6 - Cold Case Searchable Database
§ 52-34.16. Cold case searchable database established - A. As used in this section, "cold case" means an...
Chapter 8 - Witness Protection Program
§ 52-35. Witness protection program established - The Superintendent of State Police may establish and maintain within...
Chapter 9 - Insurance Fraud
§ 52-36. Definitions - As used in this chapter, the following words shall have...
§ 52-37. Insurance Fraud Investigation Unit established; powers and duties of Department of State Police - A. There shall be established within the Department of State...
§ 52-38. Access to evidence, documentation, and related materials - A. If the Department seeks evidence, documentation, and related materials...
§ 52-39. Confidentiality and immunity from service of process - A. Papers, records, documents, reports, materials or other evidence relative...
§ 52-40. Duties of insurers, their employees and insurance professionals - A. If any insurer, any employee thereof, or any insurance...
§ 52-41. Receipt of information; immunity from liability - A. Any insurer providing information to an authorized representative of...
§ 52-42. Reward fund - The Department, in cooperation with authorized insurers and insurance professionals,...
§ 52-43. Reports - The Department shall submit an annual report to the Governor...
§ 52-44. Other law-enforcement authority - This chapter shall not: 1. Preempt the authority or relieve...
Chapter 10 - Protective Order Registry
§ 52-45. Protective Order Registry established - The Superintendent shall establish, organize and maintain within the Department...
§ 52-46. Applicant Fingerprint Database; maintenance; dissemination; penalty - A. The Department of State Police shall keep and maintain...
Chapter 11 - Virginia Fusion Intelligence Center
§ 52-47. Virginia Fusion Intelligence Center established - The Governor shall establish, organize, equip, staff, and maintain a...
§ 52-48. Confidentiality and immunity from service of process; penalties - A. Papers, records, documents, reports, materials, databases, or other evidence...
§ 52-49. Receipt of information; immunity from liability - A. No cause of action for defamation, invasion of privacy,...
Chapter 12 - Virginia Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearms List
§ 52-50. Establishment of the Virginia Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearms List - A. The Department of State Police shall establish the Virginia...
§ 52-51. Voluntary enrollment and removal - A. Any person 18 years of age or older may...
§ 52-52. Prohibited conduct; penalty - A. It is unlawful for any person to inquire as...
Chapter 13 - Gaming Enforcement
§ 52-53. Definitions - As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a...
§ 52-54. Office of the Gaming Enforcement Coordinator established; purpose; duties - A. The Superintendent shall designate a Department employee to serve...