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Tennessee · Snapshot open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14

Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-301: Part definitions

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. TN Code
  2. Title 38
  3. Chapter 8

As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Committee" means a police advisory and review committee; (2) "Head of a law enforcement agency" means a chief of police of a municipal police force or a county sheriff, as applicable; (3) "Internal affairs unit" means a division of a local law enforcement agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by law enforcement officers employed by the agency; (4) "Law enforcement officer" means any person employed by any law enforcement agency of a local government entity, excluding a head of a law enforcement agency, who has a duty imposed by law to: (A) Maintain public order; (B) Make arrests for offenses, whether that duty extends to all offenses or is limited to specific offenses; and (C) Investigate the commission or suspected commission of offenses; (5) "Local governing body" means the city council, city commission, county commission, metropolitan council, or board of mayor and aldermen of a city; (6) "Local government entity" means any city, town, municipality, county, including any county having a metropolitan form of government in this state; (7) "Local law enforcement agency" means: (A) Within the territory of a municipality, the municipal police force; (B) Within the territory of a county having a metropolitan form of government, the metropolitan police force; or (C) Within the unincorporated territory of a county, the sheriff's office; and (8) "Mayor" means the officer vested by either the city or county charter or general law with the executive powers of a local government entity. Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 454, s 1, eff. 7/1/2023. Acts 1989, ch. 398, § 1.

As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Committee" means a police advisory and review committee;

(2) "Head of a law enforcement agency" means a chief of police of a municipal police force or a county sheriff, as applicable;

(3) "Internal affairs unit" means a division of a local law enforcement agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by law enforcement officers employed by the agency;

(4) "Law enforcement officer" means any person employed by any law enforcement agency of a local government entity, excluding a head of a law enforcement agency, who has a duty imposed by law to: (A) Maintain public order; (B) Make arrests for offenses, whether that duty extends to all offenses or is limited to specific offenses; and (C) Investigate the commission or suspected commission of offenses;

(A) Maintain public order;

(B) Make arrests for offenses, whether that duty extends to all offenses or is limited to specific offenses; and

(C) Investigate the commission or suspected commission of offenses;

(5) "Local governing body" means the city council, city commission, county commission, metropolitan council, or board of mayor and aldermen of a city;

(6) "Local government entity" means any city, town, municipality, county, including any county having a metropolitan form of government in this state;

(7) "Local law enforcement agency" means: (A) Within the territory of a municipality, the municipal police force; (B) Within the territory of a county having a metropolitan form of government, the metropolitan police force; or (C) Within the unincorporated territory of a county, the sheriff's office; and

(A) Within the territory of a municipality, the municipal police force;

(B) Within the territory of a county having a metropolitan form of government, the metropolitan police force; or

(C) Within the unincorporated territory of a county, the sheriff's office; and

(8) "Mayor" means the officer vested by either the city or county charter or general law with the executive powers of a local government entity.

Collected 2026-09-14T18:32:26Z. Source file · JSON

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