(a)        Unless specifically prohibited or limited by an ordinance officially adopted by the governing body of the city or county by which the person is employed, appointed, or elected to serve, the head of any law enforcement agency may temporarily provide assistance to another agency 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 the officer normally possesses. While on duty with the requesting agency, the officer shall be subject to the lawful operational commands of the officer’s superior officers in the requesting agency, but the officer shall for personnel and administrative purposes, remain under the control of the officer’s own agency, including for purposes of pay. The officer shall furthermore be entitled to workers’ compensation and the same benefits when acting pursuant to this section to the same extent as though the officer were functioning within the normal scope of the officer’s 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” or “agency” means a municipal police department, a county police department, or a sheriff’s office of this State. Subject to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-403, it also includes a municipal police department, a county police department, or a sheriff’s office of another state if the laws of the other state allow for the provision of mutual aid with out-of-state law enforcement officers. 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 N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115D-21.1(a) or N.C. Gen. Stat. § 116-40.5(a).

(2)        Colleges or universities which are licensed, or exempted from licensure, by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 116-15 and which employ company police officers commissioned by the Attorney General pursuant to Chapter 74E or Chapter 74G of the N.C. Gen. Stat..

(3)        Law enforcement agencies operated or eligible to be operated by a municipality pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 63-53(2).

(4)        Repealed by Session Laws 2013-360, s. 16B.4(d), effective July 1, 2013.

(5)        A Company Police agency of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services commissioned by the Attorney General pursuant to Chapter 74E of the N.C. Gen. Stat.. ?(1967, c. 846; 1971, c. 698, s.1; c. 896, s.4; 1977, c. 534; 1981, c. 93, s. 2; 1987, c. 671, s. 4; 1989, c. 518, s. 2; 1991, c. 636, s. 3; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 1043, s. 6; 1997-143, s. 1; 1999-68, s. 4; 2005-231, s. 8; 2006-159, s. 4; 2009-94, s. 1; 2011-260, s. 4; 2013-360, s. 16B.4(d); 2018-87, s. 1; 2019-130, s. 1.)