County police; appointment; badge; powers

MassachusettsStatutes

Ask Donna

How this section applies to your facts.

MA Code › Part I › Title XX › Chapter 147 › Section 8

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

Section 8. County commissioners may appoint as police officers persons who are in the employment of the county, who shall, when on duty, wear in plain sight a metallic badge inscribed with the words ''County Police'' and the name of the county for which they are appointed. Such officers may preserve order in any court house or in any room or building used for county business and upon the adjoining premises. They may, without a warrant, arrest idle or disorderly persons who by their presence or conduct obstruct or annoy persons using county buildings or premises, or who violate section ninety-seven of chapter two hundred and sixty-six, and may take persons so arrested to the nearest police station or other place of lawful detention.

Section 8. County commissioners may appoint as police officers persons who are in the employment of the county, who shall, when on duty, wear in plain sight a metallic badge inscribed with the words ''County Police'' and the name of the county for which they are appointed. Such officers may preserve order in any court house or in any room or building used for county business and upon the adjoining premises. They may, without a warrant, arrest idle or disorderly persons who by their presence or conduct obstruct or annoy persons using county buildings or premises, or who violate section ninety-seven of chapter two hundred and sixty-six, and may take persons so arrested to the nearest police station or other place of lawful detention.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.

County police; appointment; badge; powers · Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 147, sec. 8 | Frix