Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes
Definitions ("Peace Officer")
Section 501 of the Crimes Code defines “peace officer” broadly — any person whose office vests in them a duty to maintain public order or to make arrests. Constables satisfy this definition on plain text: they are elected by their communities and the legislature has vested them with peace-officer arrest authority for breaches of the peace and for warrants of all kinds.
§ 501. Definitions.
Subject to additional definitions contained in subsequent provisions of this part which are applicable to specific provisions of this part, the following words and phrases, when used in this part, shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings given to them in this section:
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"Peace officer." Any person who by virtue of his office or public employment is vested by law with a duty to maintain public order or to make arrests for offenses, whether that duty extends to all offenses or is limited to specific offenses, or any person on active State duty pursuant to 51 Pa.C.S. § 508 (relating to active duty for emergency). The term “peace officer” shall also include any member of the park police of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, any agent or representative of any State board or agency or any inspector or investigator of the Liquor Control Board, or any employee of the Pennsylvania State Lottery while engaged in the actual performance of their duties.
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(Other defined terms in § 501 omitted; see official source for full text of all definitions in this section.)
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Statutory text reproduced from the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Title 18). The official source is the Pennsylvania General Assembly's online statute repository. This page is not legal advice; consult a licensed Pennsylvania attorney for guidance on specific legal questions.