Chap. 443.—An ACT to amend and re-enact section 4555 of the Code of Vir-
ginia, of 1919, relating to officevs and agents of societies for prevention of
cruelty to animals, given power to arrest offenders. [fH B 196]

Approved March 26, 1928

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That section
forty-five hundred and fifty-five of the Code of Virginia, be amended
and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 4555. Officers and agents of societies for prevention of
cruelty to animals given power to arrest offenders——Any officer or
agent of any society duly incorporated under the laws of this State
for the prevention of cruelty to animals, whose appointment shall
have been approved as hereinafter provided, shall have power to ar-
rest, without warrant, any person found violating in his presence any
of the provisions of law concerning cruelty to animals, and upon mak-
ing such arrest shall forthwith convey the person arrested before some
court or magistrate having jurisdiction of the offense and there make
complaint against him; but said officers and agents shall not be author-
ized to make such arrests within any municipal corporation, unless
their appointment has been approved by the mayor thereof, nor within
any county beyond the limirs of a municipal corporation, unless their
appointment has been approved ‘by the circuit judge of said county ;
each such officer and agent shall give bond with surety in the circuit
court of the county, or the corporation court of the city, in which the
principal office of the society appointing him is located, in the penalty
of five hundred dollars, with security conditioned according to law
and that such officer or agent will not knowingly make false or im-
proper arrest, which said bond shall be effective and operative in any
county or corporation for which said agent may be subsequently ap-
pointed. Such officers and agents shall be provided with a certificate
by the society appointing them that they are such officers or agents, 1n
such form as the directors of said society may choose, which certifi-
cate shall also bear the written approval by the mayor or circuit judge
of such appointment, as provided for in this section, and the said off-
cers and agents shall, if requested, show such certificates when acting
officially ; and any such officer or agent shall have power to execute
any warrant issued by a magistrate for the violation of any of the
said provisions, whether the offense was committed in his presence
or not.

In no case shall the appointment of such officers or agents, or any
services performed hy them entail any cost or expense upon such
county or municipal corporation or upon the State.