§ 77-38. Authority of law enforcement officers and special officers.
§77‑38. Authority of law enforcement officers and special officers.
(a) Where a jointordinance so provides, all law enforcement officers, or those officers as maybe designated in the joint ordinance, with territorial jurisdiction as to anypart of Lake Wylie or its shoreline area, within the limitations of theirsubject matter jurisdiction, have the authority of peace officers in enforcingthe laws over all of Lake Wylie and its shoreline area.
(b) Where a jointordinance provides it, the Commission may hire special officers to patrol andenforce the laws on Lake Wylie and its shoreline area. These special officershave and may exercise all the powers of peace officers generally within thearea in question and shall take the oaths and are subject to all provisions oflaw relating to law enforcement officers.
(c) Every criminalviolation must be tried in the county where it occurred. However, acertificate of training by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, or asimilar certificate issued by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education andTraining Standards Commission or the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education andTraining Standards Commission will suffice for certification in both states forthe purposes of this article.
(d) Where a lawenforcement officer with jurisdiction over any part of Lake Wylie or itsshoreline area is performing duties relating to the enforcement of the laws onLake Wylie or in its shoreline area, he has such extraterritorial jurisdictionas may be necessary to perform his duties. These duties include investigationof crimes an officer reasonably believes have been, or are about to be,committed within the area in question. This includes traversing by reasonableroutes from one portion of this area to another although across territory notwithin the boundaries of Lake Wylie and its shoreline area; conductingprisoners in custody to a court or detention facilities as may be authorized bylaw, although this may involve going outside the area in question; execution ofprocess connected with any criminal offense alleged to have been committedwithin the boundaries in question, except that this process may not be executedby virtue of this provision beyond the boundaries of the three counties. Thisalso includes continuing pursuit of and arresting any violator or suspectedviolator as to which grounds for arrest arose within the area in question.
(e) Where lawenforcement officers are given additional territorial jurisdiction under theprovisions of this section, this is considered an extension of the duties ofthe office held and no officer shall take any additional oath or title ofoffice. (1987, c. 683, s. 9; 1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 897,s. 9.)