45-12-216. Employment of peace officers.

For the purposes of this article, the inspector general shall have the authority to employ peace officers.#

Persons employed full time or part time for the purpose of conducting potential criminal investigations under this article shall be certified peace officers and shall have all the powers of a certified peace officer of this state, including but not limited to the power to obtain, serve, and execute search warrants. Such Georgia certified peace officers shall be subject to the requirements of Chapter 8 of Title 35, the “Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Act,” and are specifically required to complete the training required for peace officers by that chapter. Such certified peace officers shall be authorized, upon completion of the required training, with the written approval of the inspector general, and notwithstanding Code Sections 16-11-126 and 16-11-129, to carry firearms of a standard police issue when engaged in detecting, investigating, or preventing crimes under this article.#