Impersonating a law-enforcement officer; clarifies definition of "facial covering," penalties.

The committee proposing the substitute changed from the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice to the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations.

The proposal date was updated from February 25, 2026, to March 4, 2026.

The bill number associated with the document header changed from 26108679D to 26109161D.

The document structure was changed from a standard 'Public Safety Substitute' to a 'House Substitute' format, including the addition of a unique bill identifier (26107156D) and a specific timestamp.

Removed penalties for impersonating state, local, or county peace officers, as those offenses are now handled by other statutes.

Changed the penalty for impersonating a federal law-enforcement officer from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony, with a second offense becoming a Class 5 felony.

Reduced the penalty for impersonating a non-federal officer from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony, with a second offense becoming a Class 5 felony.

Adjusted the penalty for wearing a facial covering while impersonating a federal officer from a Class 5 felony to a Class 5 felony (unchanged), but removed the specific provision for wearing a mask while impersonating non-federal officers.

Added a new subsection (B) to § 18.2-174 that imposes stricter penalties for impersonating a law enforcement officer while wearing a facial covering.

Added a definition for 'facial covering' to clarify that it includes opaque masks, balaclavas, tactical masks, ski masks, and any device used to conceal the wearer's identity.

Modified the penalty structure for impersonating a law enforcement officer: a first offense remains a Class 1 misdemeanor, but a second or subsequent offense is now a Class 6 felony (previously Class 5).

Modified the penalty for impersonating a federal law enforcement officer while wearing a facial covering: a first offense is now a Class 5 felony (previously Class 6), and a second or subsequent offense is now a Class 4 felony (previously Class 5).