Nevada Code § 171.137

Arrest required for suspected battery constituting domestic violence; exceptions
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1. Except as otherwise provided in
subsection 2, whether or not a warrant has been issued, a peace officer shall,
unless mitigating circumstances exist, arrest a person when the peace officer
has probable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed a
battery upon his or her spouse, former spouse, any other person to whom he or
she is related by blood or marriage, a person with whom he or she has had or is
having a dating relationship, a person with whom he or she has a child in
common, the minor child of any of those persons, his or her minor child or a
person who is the custodian or guardian of his or her minor child:
(a) If the peace officer had a face-to-face
encounter with the person to be arrested that was of sufficient duration to
determine whether probable cause existed while responding to the initial
incident or call for service, within the preceding 24 hours.
(b) If the peace officer did not have a
face-to-face encounter with the person to be arrested that was of sufficient
duration to determine whether probable cause existed while responding to the
initial incident or call for service, within the preceding 7 days.
2. If the peace officer has probable cause
to believe that a battery described in subsection 1 was a mutual battery, the
peace officer shall attempt to determine which person was the primary physical
aggressor. If the peace officer determines that one of the persons who
allegedly committed a battery was the primary physical aggressor involved in
the incident, the peace officer is not required to arrest any other person
believed to have committed a battery during the incident. In determining
whether a person is a primary physical aggressor for the purposes of this
subsection, the peace officer shall consider:
(a) Prior domestic violence involving either
person;
(b) The relative severity of the injuries
inflicted upon the persons involved;
(c) The potential for future injury;
(d) Whether one of the alleged batteries was
committed in self-defense; and
(e) Any other factor that may help the peace
officer decide which person was the primary physical aggressor.
3. A peace officer shall not base a
decision regarding whether to arrest a person pursuant to this section on the
peace officers perception of the willingness of a victim or a witness to the
incident to testify or otherwise participate in related judicial proceedings.
4. Nothing in this section shall be
construed to impose liability upon a peace officer or his or her employer for a
determination made in good faith by the peace officer not to arrest a person
pursuant to this section.
5. The provisions of this section do not
apply to:
(a) Siblings, except those siblings who are in a
custodial or guardianship relationship with each other; or
(b) Cousins, except those cousins who are in a
custodial or guardianship relationship with each other.
6. As used in this section, dating
relationship means frequent, intimate associations primarily characterized by
the expectation of affectional or sexual involvement. The term does not include
a casual relationship or an ordinary association between persons in a business
or social context.

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