(a) Members of the police force shall be conservators of the peace and shall have the power to make arrests for violations of federal and local laws, and rules and regulations of the Authority and governing the federal agencies; provided that they may exercise such powers primarily within the property or facilities of the Authority, and only when:
(1) such exercise is appropriate for the interest, of its residents, employees and visitors; and
(2) within the jurisdiction in which the Authority operates, when specifically requested by the appropriate federal agencies, by the Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department or the Governor of the Virgin Islands.
(b) To the extent necessary, powers shall be conferred upon specified employees of the Authority to issue and enforce in the Superior Court citations for violations of the rules and regulations which shall be payable to the Clerk of the Superior Court, and the power to determine the character of and necessity for all expenditures and the manner in which they shall be incurred, allowed and paid and such determination shall be final and conclusive for all purposes;
(c) When outside the property or facilities of the Authority, the VIHA police force shall have peace officer status.
(d) The Authority shall establish minimum standards for selection and training of members of the police force, provided, that the members of the police force shall be certified and trained pursuant to the provisions of Title 3, section 258, paragraph (b), Virgin Islands Code. The Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Authority and the Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department are hereby authorized to enter into an agreement providing for the training of all police officers of the Virgin Islands Police Department Training Academy.
(e) Neither the Authority, the members of its Board, nor its officers or employees shall be held liable for failure to provide a security or police force or, if a security or police force is provided, for failure to provide adequate police protection, failure to prevent the commission of crimes or failure to apprehend criminals.
(f) The VIHA security force shall have jurisdiction to investigate all crimes occurring on VIHA property, in the absence of the Virgin Islands Police Department. The Virgin Islands Police Department may assume jurisdiction over the investigation of any crime occurring on VIHA property upon arriving at the scene.
(g) The Authority shall establish and maintain an affirmative action program consistent with federal and local laws designed to promote equal employment opportunity within the police force and give preference to the recruitment of applicants for the police force from the specific communities in which the Authority operates housing developments and administers housing assistance programs.
(h) The Authority shall also provide that sworn officer positions at the rank of sergeant or below shall first be filled by persons otherwise qualified for selection who are residents of facilities under the jurisdiction of the Authority.
(i) Prior to implementation of the police force, the Authority shall develop a description of appointment, training and examination procedures to be used by the Virgin Islands Authority in conferring the power of citation on individual employees of the Authority to insure that such employees are knowledgeable and capable of administering the Authority's rules and regulations and properly briefed in the issuance of citations so as to meet judicial standards and requirements.
(j) All fees and fines collected under the Virgin Islands Housing Authority's rules and regulations approved pursuant to the provisions of this act shall be deposited into a special account maintained by the Virgin Islands Housing Authority for the specific purpose of improvements, maintenance and policing of the Authority's communities. For the purpose of accounting, such fees and fines shall be stated in the net amount after deduction by the Superior Court of reasonable and necessary court costs when such costs have been levied upon the citation recipient.