Ark. Code Ann. § 13-2-805

This is the official text of Ark. Code Ann. § 13-2-805, part of Arkansas’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of Arkansas, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Reasonable detention and questioning to determine whether offense was committed

Official statutory text

(a) If a person employed by a library or a person charged with the supervision thereof has reason to believe that a person has committed or has attempted to commit any offense under this subchapter or that the person has concealed any library material upon his or her person or within his or her belongings, then the person may be detained and questioned in a reasonable manner for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not an offense has been committed. (b) The detention and questioning shall not render the employee civilly liable for slander, false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, unlawful detention, or otherwise, if the library employee or person charged with the supervision of the library acts in good faith and in a reasonable manner. (c) For the purpose of ascertaining whether or not an offense has been committed, libraries, museums, archives, and other depositories may establish policies that require persons entering and exiting the premises wherein library materials are maintained to open and disclose the contents of any bags, purses, briefcases, and other containers which are being carried by or are in the possession of the persons. Acts 1995, No. 906, § 6; 1997, No. 358, § 1.

(a) If a person employed by a library or a person charged with the supervision thereof has reason to believe that a person has committed or has attempted to commit any offense under this subchapter or that the person has concealed any library material upon his or her person or within his or her belongings, then the person may be detained and questioned in a reasonable manner for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not an offense has been committed.

(b) The detention and questioning shall not render the employee civilly liable for slander, false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, unlawful detention, or otherwise, if the library employee or person charged with the supervision of the library acts in good faith and in a reasonable manner.

(c) For the purpose of ascertaining whether or not an offense has been committed, libraries, museums, archives, and other depositories may establish policies that require persons entering and exiting the premises wherein library materials are maintained to open and disclose the contents of any bags, purses, briefcases, and other containers which are being carried by or are in the possession of the persons.

Acts 1995, No. 906, § 6; 1997, No. 358, § 1.

Status: in_force

Need a lawyer in Arkansas?

Find a Arkansas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.