Virginia legal term
Law-enforcement officer in Virginia Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Virginia legislative session
In Virginia criminal law, “Law-enforcement officer” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Virginia criminal code.
What does “Law-enforcement officer” mean in Virginia criminal law?
"Law-enforcement officer" means any officer authorized to direct or regulate traffic or to make arrests for violations of this title or local ordinances authorized by law. (Va. Code Ann. § 46.2-100)
Statutes defining or using this term
Charges using this term
- Abduction and kidnapping defined
- Carrying concealed weapons
- Damage or trespass to public services or utilities or critical infrastructure
- Disarming a law-enforcement or correctional officer
- Escape without force or violence or setting fire to jail
- False emergency communication to emergency personnel
- Identity theft
- Impersonating law-enforcement officer
- Obstructing justice
- Penalties for failure to appear
- Possession of firearm, stun weapon, or other weapon on school property prohibited
- Prohibition on unfinished frames or receivers and unserialized firearms
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.