§36-21-13. Compensation for injury to police officer utilized by state department or agency; injury review boards.

(a) For purposes of this section, a "state police officer" is a full-time law enforcement officer of any state agency, department, board, commission, or institution, including full-time correctional officers of the Department of Corrections, who is certified by the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission and who has no limited authority within the state except as otherwise provided by law.

(b) When a state police officer being utilized by a state department or agency is injured while on duty for the department or agency and his or her injury or injuries were not the result of his or her willful conduct, and the injury resulted when the state police officer was in conflict, pursuit, or observation of a person or persons suspected or under suspicion of breaking the law, or has broken the law, or is in the process of breaking the law, or when the state police officer is defending persons or property in the line of duty, the state department or agency utilizing the services of the officer at the time of the injury shall compensate the officer throughout the entire period of recovery, as determined by the doctor or doctors treating the injury or injuries, at the normal rate of compensation in effect for the state police officer at the time of injury.

(c) The chief executive officer of any state department or agency which utilizes the services of a full-time state police officer shall provide for an injury review board in his or her agency or department. The board shall be composed of two employees of the department or agency who hold positions similar in rank to the injured party and one employee who holds a supervisory position ranked above the position of the injured party. The injury review board shall conduct an investigation to determine if the injured employee was injured due to his or her willful conduct and shall report its findings of fact about the circumstances of the injury within 15 days of the occurrence of the injury to the chief executive officer of the state department or agency. Based upon the findings of the board, the chief executive officer shall determine if willful conduct on the part of the injured party caused or contributed to the injury. If the chief executive officer determines that the injured party was not injured due to the party's willful conduct, an order shall be entered placing the injured party on leave for injury sustained in the line of duty until a competent physician determines that the injured party is mentally and physically able to return to work. The order shall entitle the injured party to receive his or her regular salary from the date of the injury to the end of the leave period. The salary shall be paid from funds appropriated for personnel costs to the agency or department which utilized the injured party.

(d) The compensation requirements of this section shall not apply to the State Board of Medical Examiners.

(Act 2000-688, p. 1399, §1.)