§ 8-7-110 — Assignment of law enforcement officers to drug task forces - Officers' powers, duties and immunities

(a) Any law enforcement officer or assistant district attorney general or district attorney general criminal investigator assigned to or hired by a judicial district or multi-judicial district task force relating to the investigation and prosecution of drug and violent crime cases shall have the same rights, powers, duties and immunities in every jurisdiction within the judicial district as such officer has within the officer's own jurisdiction. Such assignment shall be made in writing by the chief law enforcement official of the assigning jurisdiction, including, but not limited to, sheriff offices, police departments, task forces, state law enforcement agencies and district attorneys general offices, and shall not become effective until approved by the board of directors or governing or advisory board of the task force and/or the district attorneys general of the judicial district. Any law enforcement officer employed by or assigned to a judicial district drug task force pursuant to this section must meet the minimum certification requirements of the peace officers standards and training commission; provided, however, that such officer employed by a judicial district drug task force shall not be entitled to receive a police pay supplement for that certification. The director of a judicial district drug task force shall have the authority to commission personnel assigned to or hired by the task force with the approval of the district attorney general. (b) Any law enforcement officer or assistant district attorney general or district attorney general criminal investigator assigned to or hired by a judicial district or multi-judicial district task force relating to the investigation and prosecution of drug and violent crime cases shall have the same rights, powers, duties, and immunities statewide as such officer has within the officer's own judicial district or multi-judicial district; provided, that investigations conducted outside the officer's jurisdiction originated within the officer's own jurisdiction and is immediately necessary to an ongoing investigation; or by working in cooperation with another judicial district or multi-judicial district task force or law enforcement agency; or where there exists a mutual aid agreement between the judicial districts or multi-judicial district task forces approved by each district attorney general. (c) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary concerning members of judicial district task forces relating to the investigation and prosecution of alleged drug violations, if a claim or suit should be filed against an individual and it is proven that: (1) At the time of the alleged incident the individual was a member of such task force who was properly certified to the board of claims pursuant to § 8-42-101(3)(C) ; and (2) The alleged liability arose out of the individual's activities as a task force member; then it shall be conclusively deemed that the individual was not an employee, agent or servant of a local government but was a volunteer to the state. (d) To the extent any conflict exists concerning liability or jurisdiction of the members of any judicial district task force relating to the investigation and prosecution of, but not limited to, drug and violent crime cases between this section and any mutual aid or interlocal agreement entered into by a task force, this section takes precedence over any such agreement.

Legislative History

Acts 1988, ch. 913, § 2; 1989, ch. 63, §§ 2, 3, 5; 1998, ch. 841, §§ 1 - 5; 2004, ch. 908, § 1; 2005, ch. 258, §§ 1, 2.