(1) (a) A reserve police officer, a reserve deputy sheriff, and a reserve deputy town marshal are reserve officers.
"Reserve officer" means a person authorized by a city, city and county, town, county,or state institution of higher education within this state to act as a reserve police officer, reserve deputy sheriff, or reserve town marshal for certain specific and limited periods of time while the person is authorized to be on duty and acting at the express direction or under the direct supervision of a fully P.O.S.T.-certified peace officer pursuant to section 16-2.5-103, 16-2.5105, 16-2.5-108, or 16-2.5-120. A reserve officer is a peace officer while engaged in the performance of his or her duties whose authority shall be limited to the authority granted by his or her authorizing agency.
A reserve officer:
Shall obtain reserve certification by the P.O.S.T. board as a reserve officer; or
May be a fully P.O.S.T.-certified peace officer serving as a volunteer and may begranted full peace officer status and authority at the discretion of the appointing authority.
A city, city and county, town, county, or state institution of higher education assigning duties to a reserve officer beyond those duties included in the P.O.S.T. board training shall assume the responsibility for ensuring that the reserve officer is adequately trained for the duties. Any expenses associated with the additional training shall be authorized by the city, city and county, town, county, or state institution of higher education. If the jurisdiction allows or requires the reserve officer to carry or use a firearm while on duty, the reserve officer shall be certified for firearms proficiency with the same frequency and subject to the same requirements as a P.O.S.T.-certified peace officer in the jurisdiction. A reserve officer who does not comply with the training requirements set forth in this subsection (2) is not authorized to enforce the laws of the state of Colorado.
(Deleted by amendment, L. 2007, p. 121, § 1, effective August 3, 2007.)
(3.5) If a police chief, sheriff, or town marshal determines that a reserve officer has been adequately trained to perform a law-enforcement function that the police chief, sheriff, or town marshal is required to perform, the police chief, sheriff, or town marshal may allow the reserve officer to perform the function either in uniform or in civilian clothes, whichever is appropriate.
When performing extradition duties, the reserve officer shall be accompanied by a
P.O.S.T.-certified officer.
A reserve officer may be compensated for his or her time during a declared emergency or during a time of special need. In all other circumstances, a reserve officer shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed at the discretion of the city, city and county, town, county, or state institution of higher education benefitting from the services of the reserve officer for any authorized out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the course of his or her duties. The city, city and county, town, county, or state institution of higher education shall pay the cost of workers' compensation benefits for injuries incurred by a reserve officer while on duty and while acting within the scope of his or her assigned duties. A reserve officer is an authorized volunteer for purposes of article 10 of title 24, C.R.S.
For the purposes of this section:
"Direct supervision" means an assignment given by a fully P.O.S.T.-certified peaceofficer to a reserve officer, which assignment is carried out in the personal presence of, or in direct radio or telephone contact with, and under the immediate control of, the fully P.O.S.T.certified peace officer.
"Express direction" means a defined, task-specific assignment given by a fully P.O.S.T.-certified peace officer to a reserve officer. The fully P.O.S.T.-certified peace officer need not be present while the reserve officer carries out the assignment.
(7) For the purposes of this section, a person serving as a citizen auxiliary is not a peace officer and the P.O.S.T. board shall not require the person to be certified.
Source: L. 2003: Entire article added, p. 1607, § 2, effective August 6. L. 2004: (3), (4), and (6) amended and (3.5) added, p. 678, § 1, effective August 4. L. 2007: (1), (3), and (6) amended, p. 121, § 1, effective August 3. L. 2008: (1)(b), (2), and (5) amended, p. 85, § 2, effective March 18.