A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to authorize the department of environment and natural resources to enter into mutual aid agreements with law enforcement agencies on behalf of its special peace officers who have been designated for the purpose of enforcing the law governing the state parks system, as recommended by the environmental review commission.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 160A‑288 reads as rewritten:
"§ 160A‑288.  Cooperation between law‑enforcement agencies.
(a)	In accordance with rules, policies, or guidelines officially adopted by the governing body of the city or county by which he is employed, and subject to any conditions or restrictions included therein, the head of any law‑enforcement agency may temporarily provide assistance to another agency in enforcing the laws of North Carolina if so requested in writing by the head of the requesting agency. The assistance may comprise allowing officers of the agency to work temporarily with officers of the requesting agency (including in an undercover capacity) and lending equipment and supplies. While working with the requesting agency under the authority of this section, an officer shall have the same jurisdiction, powers, rights, privileges and immunities (including those relating to the defense of civil actions and payment of judgments) as the officers of the requesting agency in addition to those he normally possesses. While on duty with the requesting agency, he shall be subject to the lawful operational commands of his superior officers in the requesting agency, but he shall for personnel and administrative purposes, remain under the control of his own agency, including for purposes of pay. He shall furthermore be entitled to workers' compensation and the same benefits when acting pursuant to this section to the same extent as though he were functioning within the normal scope of his duties.
(b)	As used in this section:
(1)	"Head" means any director or chief officer of a law‑enforcement agency including the chief of police of a local department, chief of police of county police department, and the sheriff of a county, or an officer of one of the above named agencies to whom the head of that agency has delegated authority to make or grant requests under this section, but only one officer in the agency shall have this delegated authority at any time.
(2)	"Law‑enforcement agency" means only a municipal police department, a county police department, or a sheriff's department. All other State and local agencies are exempted from the provisions of this section.
(c)	This section in no way reduces the jurisdiction or authority of State law‑enforcement officers.
(d)	For purposes of this section, the following shall be considered the equivalent of a municipal police department:
(1)	Campus law‑enforcement agencies established pursuant to G.S. 115D‑21.1(a) or  G.S. 116-40.5(a).
(2)	Colleges or universities which are licensed, or exempted from licensure, by G.S. 116‑15 and which employ company police officers commissioned by the Attorney General pursuant to  Chapter 74E.
(3)	Law enforcement agencies operated or eligible to be operated by a municipality pursuant to G.S. 63‑53(2).
(4)	Employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources commissioned as special peace officers pursuant to G.S. 113-28.1."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.