Sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, constables, and other police officers shall enforce the laws and division rules for the taking, possession, protection, preservation, and propagation of wild animals and for this purpose shall have the power conferred upon wildlife officers. Prosecution for offenses not committed in the presence of an officer shall be instituted only upon the approval of the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the offense is committed, or a municipal legal officer within his territorial jurisdiction, or upon the approval of the attorney general, and when the services of counsel are necessary, the attorney authorized by this section to approve the action and who does so shall act as attorney for the prosecution of the case.

Terms Used In Ohio Code 1531.16

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Possession: means both actual and constructive possession and any control of things referred to. See Ohio Code 1531.01
  • Wild animals: includes mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, wild birds, wild quadrupeds, and all other wild mammals, but does not include domestic deer. See Ohio Code 1531.01

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