[Code 1962, § 22-1]
The City Manager shall appoint one Chief of Police and such
other subordinate police officers and policemen, including special
policemen, as the Council may deem necessary.
[Code 1962, § 22-2]
The powers and duties of policemen shall be such as may be prescribed
by the Charter, this Code, the other ordinances of the City and the
general laws of the state. Before entering on the discharge of their
duties, policemen shall take and subscribe the oath of office required
by law before the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City. The City
Manager shall have control of such policemen, and he may remove any
member of the Police Division at any time for misconduct or neglect
of duty, to be specified in the order of removal; but no such removal
shall be made without reasonable notice to the officer or policeman
complained of, and an opportunity offered him to be heard in his own
defense.
[Code 1962, § 22-4]
The Police Division of the Department of Public Safety shall
be detailed for duty under the direction of the Chief of Police and
shall be subject to such rules, bylaws, regulations and orders as
may be prescribed by the City Manager, the Director of Public Safety
and the Chief of Police, not in conflict with any provision of this
Code or other ordinance of the City or the provisions of the Charter
and the laws of the state or of the United States.
[Code 1962, § 22-3]
All orders issued to the Police Division by the City Manager
shall be through the Chief of Police or, in the absence of the Chief
of Police, the senior officer on duty.
[Ord. No. 89, 10-27-1975; amended by Ord. No. 2005-4, 2-28-2005; 2-22-2010]
(a)
It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police, at such times as he
deems proper, but at least once every two years, to deliver an account,
verified by his oath, to the City Manager, of all money and articles
of personal property, the ownership of which is unknown, which have
remained unclaimed in the custody of the Police Division for a period
of six months or more. The Chief of Police shall immediately thereafter
give notice by advertisement, once a week for two successive weeks,
in some newspaper of general circulation in the City, to all persons
interested in or claiming such property that, unless claimed by the
owner, with satisfactory proof of such ownership, before a specified
day, at least 10 days after the newspaper publication has run its
two successive weeks' period, such money will be paid to the Treasurer
and such articles of personal property will be sold, on such day and
at a place and time in said notice specified, at public auction to
the highest bidder. On that day and at the place and time specified
in the notice, all such articles of personal property shall be sold
at public auction to the highest bidder by the Chief of Police, or
under his direction.
(b)
If any articles of personal property which are of a perishable nature,
or which shall be expensive to keep, shall at any time remain unclaimed
in the custody of the Police Division, it shall be lawful for the
Chief of Police to sell the same at public auction, on such day and
at such time and place and after such notice as to him shall seem
proper.
(c)
The Chief of Police shall, immediately after the day specified in
the aforesaid two-week notice, pay to the Treasurer all of the unclaimed
money mentioned in the notice, and shall, immediately after the sale
of any property in accordance with this section, pay to the Treasurer
all money received by him upon such sale, after deducting the expenses
of the sale.
(d)
Nothing in this section shall be held to require the Chief of Police to take possession of, or to make disposition of, any lost or stolen property, the disposition or possession of which is otherwise provided for by law; and none of the provisions of this section shall apply to pistols, dirks, bowie knives, razors, blackjacks, slingshots, metal knucks or weapons of like kind; but all such weapons shall be disposed of as required by § 31-1 of this Code.
[Code 1962, § 18-46; amended by Ord. No. 138, 3-27-1978]
It shall be unlawful for any person to resist or impede any
officer or other person authorized to make an arrest in making an
arrest in the jurisdiction of the City.
[Code 1962, § 18-47; amended by Ord. No. 139, 3-27-1978]
[Code 1962, § 18-50]
Any person who shall falsely assume or exercise the functions,
powers, duties and privileges incident to the office of sheriff, police
officer, marshal or other peace officer, or who shall falsely assume
or pretend to be any such officer, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
[Code 1962, § 18-51]
No person, not a member of the Police Division of the City,
shall wear any such uniform as is designated for the use of the members
of the Police Division.
[Code 1962, § 18-52]
It shall be unlawful for any person within the City to knowingly
give a false report as to the commission of any crime to any law enforcement
officer, with intent to mislead.
(a)
Every pawnbroker, as defined in Code of Virginia, § 54.1-4000,
doing business in the City shall prepare a report, at the end of each
day, of all goods, articles or things pawned or pledged with him during
such day and file such report, not later than noon of the following
day, with the Chief of Police. Such report shall include the name
and residence of the pledger and a description of the goods, article
or thing pledged and shall be in writing and clearly legible to any
person inspecting it.
(b)
Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, shall be punished by
a fine of not less than $10, nor more than $500 for each offense.
[Ord. No. 2003-3, 5-12-2003]
