The State Department of Criminal Justice Services is hereby authorized and directed to enter into contracts to make payments to accredited institutions of higher education within this Commonwealth for tuition, books and mandatory fees for law-enforcement officers of the Commonwealth, or its political subdivisions, departments or authorities, or of any county, city or town thereof enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis in courses included in an undergraduate or graduate program which leads to a degree or certificate in an area related to law enforcement or an area suitable for law-enforcement officers. No payments shall be made pursuant to this section to any institution of higher education operating within this Commonwealth whose primary campus is outside this Commonwealth. Assistance under this section may be granted only on behalf of an applicant who enters into an agreement to continue to serve as a law-enforcement officer in Virginia upon completion of his course of study for a period at least as long as the length of the course of study undertaken and paid for under the provisions of this section, and in the event such service is not completed, to repay the full amount of such payments on the terms and in the manner the State Department of Criminal Justice Services may prescribe.Any person receiving the benefit of funds expended pursuant to this section shall be required to make reimbursement of such funds if he fails to satisfactorily complete the course or courses for which the funds were expended.Any reimbursement of money advanced under the provisions of this section shall be returned to the State Department of Criminal Justice Services and used in accordance with the purposes of this section.

History

1972, c. 697; 1974, c. 162; 1977, c. 162; 1982, c. 18; 1986, c. 236.