§ 38:326.1 — Authority of Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and Drainage District police

Louisiana § 38:326.1

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 38: Public Contracts, Works and Improvements

Text

§326.1. Authority of Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and Drainage District police
officer; contracts with sheriffs' offices
A. Those persons who are designated Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and
Drainage District police officers in accordance with this Section are responsible for
maintaining order and exercising general police power on the levees within the area of the
Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and Drainage District and upon its surrounding waters
in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated for that purpose by the secretary
of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or his designee. Each such person
nominated as a police officer by the president of the Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee
and Drainage District shall, upon meeting the requirements of this Section, be commissioned
as a peace officer by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Such commission
shall remain in force and effect at the pleasure of the president of the Lafourche Basin
Conservation Levee and Drainage District and the Department of Public Safety and
Corrections subject to applicable civil service regulations. These police officers shall have
the right to carry concealed weapons and to exercise the power of arrest as peace officers,
according to law, within the area of their jurisdiction as provided herein. Each such police
officer shall execute a bond in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars in favor of the
state of Louisiana for the faithful performance of his duties. The premium on the bond shall
be paid by the levee district. Any other provisions of this Section to the contrary
notwithstanding, this classification shall not entitle persons to state supplemental pay.
B. Any person arrested by a Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and Drainage
District police officer, in the exercise of the power hereinabove granted, shall be immediately
transferred by such officer to the custody of the sheriff or city police wherein the arrest
occurs.
C. No person shall be commissioned as a Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and
Drainage District police officer, unless prior to such commissioning the person has, as a
minimum requirement, successfully completed a certified law enforcement training course
and basic firearms training program, including any annual recertification, and meets the other
requirements set by the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or his
designee.
D. In no event shall the total membership of the Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee
and Drainage District Police Force exceed four members. All members shall be in the
classified service of the state. The board of commissioners is hereby authorized to expend
whatever funds are necessary for the operation and maintenance of the police force.
E. In addition to the provisions of this Section or any other provision of law, the
president of the Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and Drainage District may contract
with sheriffs' offices within the area of the Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and
Drainage District for purposes of providing police protection and surveillance of the levee
system. No such contract shall be binding or effective until approved by the board of
commissioners of the Lafourche Basin Conservation Levee and Drainage District in a public
meeting by a record vote of a majority of its membership.

Legislative History

Acts 1985, No. 771, §1; Acts 2005, No. 5, §1; Acts 2024, No. 177, §1.