In Nevada, police officers and fire fighters have additional workers’ compensation coverage and benefits for some injuries and illnesses that Nevada employees of other occupations do not have. The laws that are unique to police officers and/or fire fighters are amended frequently when the Nevada legislature meets every two years. It is therefore important to check for any recent amendments to the laws referenced in this blog post. Please use this post as a starting point for discussion with an attorney about your particular circumstances if you are a police officer or fire fighter. Look for upcoming posts on topics of special interest to police officers and fire fighters, such as heart disease, lung disease, hearing loss, psychological stress disorders, cancer, and contagious diseases.
The legal definition of who is a police officer for purposes of knowing whether the special laws and benefits apply is in NRS 617.135. The listing in this statute of the various law enforecement employees of various public entities (state, city, and county) is reviewed for amendment almost every legislative session to consider whether additional positions should be included. Whether a particular law enforcement group is added to the list by amendment depends on the political clout of the omitted group.
NRS 617.135 is considered to be an exclusive list of who is a police officer. Other employees with law enforcement duties similar to those positions included in the statute have not been successful arguing that the special laws for police officers should apply to them also.
