As used in this division, “public safety official” means the following parties, whether active or retired:

(a) A peace officer as defined in Sections 830 to 830.65, inclusive, of the Penal Code, or a person who is not a peace officer, but may exercise the powers of arrest during the course and within the scope of the person’s employment pursuant to § 830.7 of the Penal Code.

Terms Used In California Government Code 7920.535

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • City: includes "city and county" and "incorporated town" but does not include "unincorporated town" or "village. See California Government Code 20
  • County: includes city and county. See California Government Code 19
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Federal prosecutor: A lawyer appointed by the President in each judicial district to prosecute and defend cases for the federal government.
  • Federal public defender: An attorney employed by the federal courts on a full-time basis to provide legal defense to defendants who are unable to afford counsel. The judiciary administers the federal defender program pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act. Source: U.S. Courts
  • person: includes any natural person, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, or association. See California Government Code 7920.520
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
  • Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Government Code 12.2
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.

(b) A public officer or other person listed in Section 1808.2 or 1808.6 of the Vehicle Code.

(c) An “elected or appointed official” as defined in Section 7920.500.

(d) An attorney employed by the Department of Justice, the State Public Defender, or a county office of the district attorney or public defender, the United States Attorney, or the Federal Public Defender.

(e) A city attorney and an attorney who represents cities in criminal matters.

(f) An employee of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who supervises inmates or is required to have care or custody of a prisoner.

(g) A sworn or nonsworn employee who supervises inmates in a city police department, a county sheriff’s office, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, federal, state, or a local detention facility, or a local juvenile hall, camp, ranch, or home, and a probation officer as defined in § 830.5 of the Penal Code.

(h) A federal prosecutor, a federal criminal investigator, and a National Park Service Ranger working in California.

(i) The surviving spouse or child of a peace officer defined in § 830 of the Penal Code, if the peace officer died in the line of duty.

(j) State and federal judges and court commissioners.

(k) An employee of the Attorney General, a district attorney, or a public defender who submits verification from the Attorney General, district attorney, or public defender that the employee represents the Attorney General, district attorney, or public defender in matters that routinely place that employee in personal contact with persons under investigation for, charged with, or convicted of, committing criminal acts.

(l) A nonsworn employee of the Department of Justice or a police department or sheriff’s office that, in the course of employment, is responsible for collecting, documenting, and preserving physical evidence at crime scenes, testifying in court as an expert witness, and other technical duties, and a nonsworn employee that, in the course of employment, performs a variety of standardized and advanced laboratory procedures in the examination of physical crime evidence, determines their results, and provides expert testimony in court.

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 614, Sec. 2. (AB 473) Effective January 1, 2022. Operative January 1, 2023, pursuant to Sec. 7931.000.)