Virginia Code 52-20: Arrests without warrants in certain cases
A. For the purposes of this section, “electronic communication” means the use of technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities to transmit or receive information.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 52-20
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
B. Members of the State Police force of the Commonwealth, provided such officers are in uniform or displaying a badge of office, may, at the scene of any motor vehicle accident or in the apprehension of any person charged with the theft of any motor vehicle on any of the highways of the Commonwealth, upon reasonable grounds to believe, based upon personal investigation, including information obtained from eyewitnesses, that a crime has been committed by any person then and there present apprehend such person without a warrant of arrest. Such officers may arrest without a warrant persons duly charged with crime in another jurisdiction upon receipt of an electronic communication containing the name or a reasonably accurate description of such person wanted and the crime alleged.
1942, p. 481; Michie Code 1942, § 4827a; 1950, p. 888; 2022, c. 49.