West Virginia Code § 15-10-4

Cooperation between law-enforcement agencies and other groups of state
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or local law-enforcement officers.
(a) The head of any law-enforcement agency, or the head of any campus police, as those
terms are defined in section three of this article, may temporarily provide assistance and
cooperation to another agency of the state criminal justice system or to a federal law-
enforcement agency in investigating crimes or possible criminal activity if reequested to do so
in writing by the head of another law-enforcement agency or federal law-enforcement
agency. Such assistance may also be provided upon the request of the hread of the law-
enforcement agency or federal law-enforcement agency without first being reduced to
writing in emergency situations involving the imminent risk of loss of life or serious bodily
injury. The assistance may include, but is not limited to, entering into a multijurisdictional
task force agreement to integrate federal, state, county and tmunicipal law-enforcement
agencies or other groups of state or local law-enforcement officers, or any combination
thereof, for the purpose of enhancing interagency coordination, intelligence gathering,
facilitating multijurisdictional investigations, providing criminal justice enforcement
personnel of the law-enforcement agency to work temporarily with personnel of another
agency, including in an undercover capacity, and making available equipment, training,
technical assistance and information systems for the more efficient investigation,
apprehension and adjudication of persons who violate the criminal laws of this state or the
United States and to assist the victims of such crimes. When providing the assistance under
this article, a head of a law-enforcement agency shall comply with all applicable statutes,
ordinances, rules, policies or geuidelines officially adopted by the state or the governing body
of the city or county by which he or she is employed and any conditions or restrictions
included therein. L
(b) While temporarily assigned to work with another law-enforcement agency or agencies,
criminal justice enforcement personnel and other state and local law-enforcement officers
shall have the same jurisdiction, powers, privileges and immunities, including those relating
to the defense of civil actions, as such criminal justice enforcement personnel would enjoy if
actually employed by the agency to which they are assigned, in addition to any
corresponding or varying jurisdiction, powers, privileges and immunities conferred by virtue
of their continued employment with the assisting agency.
(c) While assigned to another agency or to a multijurisdictional task force, criminal justice
enforcement personnel and other state and local law-enforcement officers shall be subject to
the lawful operational commands of the superior officers of the agency or task force to which
they are assigned, but for personnel and administrative purposes, including compensation,
they shall remain under the control of the assisting agency. These assigned personnel shall
continue to be covered by all employee rights and benefits provided by the assisting agency,
including workers' compensation, to the same extent as though such personnel were
functioning within the normal scope of their duties.
(d) No request or agreement between the heads of law-enforcement agencies, or the heads
of campus police, made or entered into pursuant to this article shall remain in force or effect
until a copy of said request or agreement is filed with the office of the circuit clerk of the
county or counties in which the law-enforcement agencies, or the campus police, involved
operate. Agreements made pursuant to this article shall remain in effect unless and until the
agreement is changed or withdrawn in writing by the head of one of the law-enforcement
agencies. Upon filing, the requests or agreements may be sealed, subject to disclosure
pursuant to an order of a circuit court directing disclosure for good cause. Nothing in this
article shall be construed to limit the authority of the head of a law-enforcemeent agency or
the head of campus police to withdraw from any agreement at any time.
(e) Nothing contained in this article shall be construed so as to grant, increase, decrease or
in any manner affect the civil service protection or the applicability of civil service laws as to
any criminal justice enforcement personnel, or as to any state or local law-enforcement
officer or agency operating under the authority of this articlte, nor shall this article in any
way reduce or increase the jurisdiction or authority of any criminal justice enforcement
personnel, or of any state or local law-enforcement officer or agency, except as specifically
provided herein.
(f) Nothing contained in this article shall be cosnstrued so as to authorize the permanent
consolidation or merger or the elimination of operations of participating federal, state,
county and municipal law-enforcement agencies, or other groups of state and local law-
enforcement officers, or campus polgice.

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