§ 35 Persons assisting officers.

If a police officer or other law enforcement official asks you to help them prevent a crime, you are legally protected for helping out. This means that if an officer tells you to assist them in stopping an offense from happening, you won't get in trouble for following their instructions.

The key thing here is that the officer has to actually give the command. You cannot decide on your own that you're helping prevent a crime and expect this protection. The protection only kicks in when law enforcement directs you to act and you follow their orders as part of that effort.

This rule exists so that officers can call on regular citizens for backup when needed, without those citizens fearing legal consequences for lending a hand. It gives people confidence to help when asked, knowing the law has their back in that specific situation.