§ 3-2. Duties and authority of animal control officers.

(a)

By authority of the board of supervisors, the county shall employ an animal control officer and one or more deputy animal control officers who shall have the power to enforce this entire chapter and all state laws enacted for animal control and protection.

(b)

The animal control officer and deputy animal control officers shall have a working knowledge of this chapter and of animal control and protection laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia which they are required to enforce. When in uniform or upon displaying a badge or other credentials of office, the animal control officers and deputy animal control officers shall have the power to issue a summons or obtain a felony warrant as necessary, providing the execution of such warrant shall be carried out by any law enforcement officer as more specifically defined in Section 9.1-101 of the Code of Virginia (1950, as amended), to any person found in the act of violating any such law or any ordinance enacted pursuant to such law of the county.

(c)

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the issuance of a warrant for any violation of this chapter based upon the complaint of any citizen or any law enforcement officer and upon a finding of probable cause by an officer authorized to issue arrest warrants generally.

(d)

No individual shall interfere with an animal control officer in the legal performance of his or her duties. This includes, but is not limited to, striking or attempting to strike the animal control officer; providing the animal control officer with false information; taking or attempting to take any animal from an animal control officer in the legal performance of his or her duties; taking or attempting to take any animal from any property owned or controlled by the county without proper authority or taking or damaging any county property used in conjunction with the animal control officer's duties.

(e)

It shall be unlawful and shall constitute a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person to make a false statement to an animal control officer while in the performance of their duties conducting an investigation. (6-18-15.)

(STATE LAW REFERENCE—Sec. 3.2-6555 of the Code of Virginia (1950, as amended).)