Section 142 - Willful refusal to arrest person(a) Any peace officer who has the authority to receive or arrest a person charged with a criminal offense and willfully refuses to receive or arrest that person shall be punished by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, or by both that fine and imprisonment.(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the sheriff may determine whether any jail, institution, or facility under his or her direction shall be designated as a reception, holding, or confinement facility, or shall be used for several of those purposes, and may designate the class of prisoners for which any facility shall be used.(c) This section shall not apply to arrests made pursuant to Section 837.Amended by Stats 2011 ch 39 (AB 117),s 68, eff. 6/30/2011.Amended by Stats 2011 ch 15 (AB 109),s 255, eff. 4/4/2011, but operative no earlier than October 1, 2011, and only upon creation of a community corrections grant program to assist in implementing this act and upon an appropriation to fund the grant program.Amended by Stats 2002 ch 526 (AB 1835), s 1, eff. 1/1/2003.