Section 14. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law or rule or regulation to the contrary, the sheriff, all deputies, jailers, superintendents, keepers, officers, assistants and other employees of the sheriff of an abolished county, employed immediately before the transfer date, which, in the case of Hampshire county for purposes of this section, shall be September 1, 1998, in the discharge of their responsibilities set forth in section 24 of chapter 37 and section 16 of chapter 126, shall be transferred to the commonwealth with no impairment of employment rights held immediately before the transfer date without interruption of service, without impairment of seniority, retirement or other rights of employees, without reduction in compensation or salary grade and without change in union representation. Any collective bargaining agreement in effect immediately before the transfer date shall continue in effect and the terms and conditions of employment therein shall continue as if the employees had not been so transferred. Nothing in this section shall be construed to confer upon any employee any right not held immediately before the date of said transfer, or to prohibit any reduction of salary grade, transfer, reassignment, suspension, discharge layoff or abolition of position not prohibited before such date.

(b) All demands, notices, citations, writs, precepts and all other notices given by the sheriff, deputies, jailers, superintendents, keepers, officers, assistants or other employees of a sheriff of an abolished county, as the case may be, on or before the transfer date shall be valid and effective for all purposes unless otherwise revoked, suspended, rescinded, canceled or terminated in accordance with law.

(c) Any enforcement activity imposed by the sheriff or by any deputies, jailers, superintendents, keepers, officers, assistants or other employees of the sheriff of an abolished county, before the transfer date, shall be valid, effective and continuing in force according to the terms thereof for all purposes unless superseded, revised, rescinded or canceled in accordance with law.

(d) All petitions, hearings appeals, suits and other proceedings duly brought against, and all petitions, hearings, appeals, suits, prosecutions and other legal proceedings begun by the sheriff, deputies, jailers, superintendents, keepers, officers, assistants or the employees of the sheriff of an abolished county, as the case may be, which are pending before the transfer date shall continue unabated and remain in force notwithstanding the transfer pursuant to section 1.

(e) All records maintained by the sheriff, deputies, jailers, superintendents, keepers, officers, assistants and other employees of the sheriff of an abolished county before the transfer date shall continue to enjoy the same status in any court or administrative proceeding, whether pending on said transfer date or commenced thereafter, as they would have enjoyed in the absence of such transfer.