What is a Law Enforcement Officer in Virginia?

Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer in Virginia is a felony punished with a mandatory minimum of 6 months in jail up to 5 years in prison.  For purposes of this crime, a “Law Enforcement Officer” includes more than just a police officer.  If you are wondering, what is a Law Enforcement Officer in Virginia, read the post below.

What is a Law Enforcement Officer in Virginia?

For purposes of an Assault on Law Enforcement Officer charge in Virginia, “Law Enforcement Officer” is defined in Va. Code §18.2-57(F) as “any full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff’s office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof who is responsible for the prevention or detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth, any conservation officer of the Department of Conservation and Recreation commissioned pursuant to § 10.1-115, any special agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, conservation police officers appointed pursuant to § 29.1-200, full-time sworn members of the enforcement division of the Department of Motor Vehicles appointed pursuant to § 46.2-217, and any employee with internal investigations authority designated by the Department of Corrections pursuant to subdivision 11 of § 53.1-10, and such officer also includes jail officers in local and regional correctional facilities, all deputy sheriffs, whether assigned to law-enforcement duties, court services or local jail responsibilities, auxiliary police officers appointed or provided for pursuant to §§ 15.2-1731 and 15.2-1733, auxiliary deputy sheriffs appointed pursuant to § 15.2-1603, police officers of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority pursuant to § 5.1-158, and fire marshals appointed pursuant to § 27-30 when such fire marshals have police powers as set out in §§ 27-34.2 and 27-34.2:1.”