16103547D
HOUSE BILL NO. 594
Offered January 13, 2016
Prefiled January 11, 2016
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 46.2-936.1, relating to enforcement of traffic or motor vehicle laws; marked law-enforcement vehicles.
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Patron-- Marshall, R.G.
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Committee Referral Pending
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 46.2-936.1 as follows:

§46.2-936.1. Enforcement of traffic and motor vehicle laws; marked law-enforcement vehicles.

A. No law-enforcement officer as defined in §9.1-101, while such officer is enforcing the traffic or motor vehicle laws of the Commonwealth, shall use any motor vehicle unless such vehicle is (i) marked in some distinctive manner that identifies the law-enforcement agency employing such officer and (ii) equipped with warning lights as provided in § 46.2-1022.

B. Subsection A shall not apply to any law-enforcement officer who:

1. Stops at the scene of an accident or to assist a disabled motor vehicle;

2. Has probable cause to believe the operator of a motor vehicle has committed a felony or a violation of §18.2-266; or

3. Stops the operator of a motor vehicle who the law-enforcement officer reasonably believes constitutes a risk of causing imminent and serious bodily injury to any person.