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1995 SESSION

LD1962739
SENATE BILL NO. 987
Offered January 23, 1995
A BILL to amend and reenact § 14.1-70 of the Code of Virginia, relating to number of law enforcement positions.
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Patrons--Stolle, Benedetti, Calhoun, Colgan, Earley, Holland, C.A., Holland, E.M., Holland, R.J., Houck, Lambert, Lucas, Marsh, Maxwell, Miller, K.G., Norment, Potts, Quayle, Reasor, Robb, Saslaw, Schewel, Trumbo, Waddell, Wampler and Woods; Delegates: Croshaw, Orrock and Thomas
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Referred to the Committee on Finance
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 14.1-70 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 14.1-70. Number of deputies.

A. Except as provided in § 15.1-48 of the Code of Virginia, the respective number of full-time deputies appointed by positions allotted to the sheriff of a county or city shall be fixed by the Compensation Board after receiving such recommendation of requests and recommendations from the board of supervisors of the county or the council of the city, as the case may be, as the board of supervisors or city council may desire to make. Such recommendation or from the sheriff. Requests and recommendations, if any, shall be made to the Compensation Board on or before April February 1 of each year.

B. In any county without a police force, upon the:

1. Upon request of the board of supervisors of such county sheriff, the number of such law-enforcement deputies shall be fixed at not less than one such deputy for each 2,000 population in such county excluding the population served by state educational institution police departments if the sheriff's department does not provide the majority of the law-enforcement activities to such population according to uniform crime reports compiled by the Department of State Police. The Compensation Board shall also consider any agreement the sheriff may have pursuant to § 15.1-131.3 and any obligation he the sheriff may have pursuant to this section to provide law enforcement for towns in fixing the number of deputies.

2. Beginning July 1, 1996, upon request of the sheriff, the number of law-enforcement deputies shall be fixed at not less than one such deputy for each 1,500 of population, excluding the population served by state educational institution police departments if the sheriff’s department does not provide the majority of the law-enforcement activities to such populations according to uniform crime reports which shall be compiled by the Department of State Police. If the county has a population of less than 8,000, upon request of the sheriff, the minimum number of law-enforcement deputies shall be fixed at five, provided that the sheriff provides the majority of law-enforcement services.

C. The governing body of any county or city may employ a greater number of law-enforcement deputies than fixed by the Compensation Board, provided that the county or city shall pay the total compensation and all employer costs for such additional deputies.

2. That no positions shall be abolished between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997, in any sheriff's office in which the number of positions exceeds the standards established in this act. However, positions which become vacant after July 1, 1997, in any sheriff's office in which the number of positions exceeds the standards established in this act shall be reallocated by the Compensation Board to other sheriffs' offices whose staffing levels do not meet the minimum standards of this act