Immunity of peace officers and tactical medics from tort liability for conduct in the line of duty; certain employers of off-duty officers to maintain liability coverage.

(a) Every peace officer and tactical medic, except constables, who is employed or appointed pursuant to the Constitution or statutes of this state, whether appointed or employed as a peace officer or tactical medic by the state or a county or municipality thereof, or by an agency or institution, corporate or otherwise, created pursuant to the Constitution or laws of this state and authorized by the Constitution or laws to appoint or employ police officers or other peace officers or tactical medics, and whose duties prescribed by law, or by the lawful terms of their employment or appointment, include the enforcement of, or the investigation and reporting of violations of, the criminal laws of this state, and who is empowered by the laws of this state to execute warrants, to arrest and to take into custody persons who violate, or who are lawfully charged by warrant, indictment, or other lawful process, with violations of, the criminal laws of this state, shall at all times be deemed to be officers of this state, and as such shall have immunity from tort liability arising out of his or her conduct in performance of any discretionary function within the line and scope of his or her law enforcement duties.

(b) This section is intended to extend immunity only to peace officers and governmental units or agencies authorized to appoint peace officers. No immunity is extended hereby to any private non-governmental person or entity, including any private employer of a peace officer during that officer's off-duty hours.

(c) Every private, non-governmental person or entity who employs a peace officer or tactical medic during that officer's "off-duty" hours to perform any type of security work or to work while in the uniform of a peace officer shall have in force at least $100,000 of liability insurance, which insurance must indemnify for acts the "off-duty" peace officer takes within the line and scope of the private employment. The failure to have in force the insurance herein required shall make every individual employer, every general partner of a partnership employer, every member of an unincorporated association employer, and every officer of a corporate employer individually liable for all acts taken by an "off-duty" peace officer within the line and scope of the private employment.

(d) The term tactical medic, as used in this section, means a firefighter paramedic or firefighter emergency medical technician licensed by the State of Alabama and employed by the state or a county or municipality within the state, operating on-duty in direct support of a tactical law enforcement unit to provide medical services at high risk incidences including hostage incidents, narcotic raids, hazardous surveillance, sniper incidents, armed suicidal persons, barricaded suspect, felony warrant service, and fugitives refusing to surrender.

(Acts 1994, No. 94-640, p. 1200, §§1-3; Act 2016-294, §1.)