An elected sheriff or police chief of a local law enforcement agency or fire chief of a local fire department, with the approval of the local governing authority, shall be authorized to designate, equip, and train nonsworn law enforcement employees and firefighters and volunteers to assist in traffic control, provided that such individuals have successfully completed at least one hour of a traffic control training program approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. With the approval of the sheriff or police chief of a local law enforcement agency or fire chief of a local fire department, such individuals shall be authorized to direct and regulate the flow of traffic. Any such individual who is not certified pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 8 of this title shall not have the power of arrest provided to peace officers.
(Code 1981, §35-1-11, enacted by Ga. L. 1999, p. 654, § 1; Ga. L. 2019, p. 302, § 2-2/HB 459.)
The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, substituted the present provisions of this Code section for the former provisions, which read: "A police chief of a local law enforcement agency with the approval of the local governing authority shall be authorized to designate and equip police volunteers and to provide training to such police volunteers in the area and manner of traffic control. With the approval of the police chief of a local law enforcement agency or fire chief of a local fire department, a police volunteer shall be authorized to direct and regulate the flow of traffic in the event of a fire, explosion, hurricane, tornado, or other emergency situation. A police volunteer shall not have the power of arrest provided to peace officers."
Cross references.- Obedience to authorized persons directing traffic, § 40-6-2.
Code Commission notes.- Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1999, Code Section 35-1-11 as enacted by Ga. L. 1999, p. 777, § 1, was redesignated as Code Section 35-1-12.