§ 40:1669 — Law Enforcement Recruitment Incentive Program

§1669. Law Enforcement Recruitment Incentive Program
A. There is hereby created in the state treasury, as a special fund, the Law
Enforcement Recruitment Incentive Fund, hereinafter referred to in this Chapter as the
"fund". Monies in the fund shall be used solely for payments made in accordance with the
Law Enforcement Recruitment Incentive Program as provided in this Section.
B. Monies in the fund shall be invested in the same manner as monies in the state
general fund. Interest earned on investment of monies in the fund shall be credited to the
fund. Until the termination of the program, unexpended and unencumbered monies in the
fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund.
C. The Law Enforcement Recruitment Incentive Program, hereinafter referred to in
this Chapter as the "program", is hereby established to aid in the recruitment of law
enforcement officers within the state. The purpose of the program is to provide one-time
incentive payments of five thousand dollars to certain newly employed law enforcement
officers in the state.
D. For purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the following
meanings:
(1) "Eligible agency" means a sheriff's office, municipal police department, or the
office of state police within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
(2) "Law enforcement officer" means an officer whose permanent duties actually
include the making of arrests, the performing of searches and seizures, or the execution of
criminal warrants, and who is responsible for the prevention or detection of crime or for the
enforcement of the penal, traffic, or highway laws of this state. "Law enforcement officer"
shall not include any elected or appointed head of a law enforcement department.
(3) "Municipality" means an incorporated city, town, or village.
(4) "Newly employed officer" means a person who gains or is appointed to full-time
employment as a law enforcement officer with a Louisiana eligible agency on or after July
1, 2023, and who has never before been employed as a law enforcement officer in this state.
E. To qualify for the incentive payment, a newly employed officer shall meet the
following criteria:
(1) Attain POST-certification within one year of the date on which employment
begins.
(2) Maintain continuous full-time employment with an eligible agency for a least two
years from the date on which employment begins. The required two-year employment period
may be satisfied by maintaining employment at one or more eligible agencies, but such
period shall not contain any break in service longer than fifteen calendar days.
F.(1) An incentive payment made pursuant to this Section shall be reimbursed by the
officer who received payment to the state treasurer under any of the following circumstances:
(a) The officer voluntarily separates from employment with an employing agency
prior to completion of two years of employment, as provided in Paragraph (E)(2) of this
Section.
(b) The officer has a break in service of more than fifteen days.
(c) The officer is dismissed for cause by the employing agency.
(2) The employing agency shall notify the treasurer if an officer who received
payment does not meet the required two-year employment period.
(3) The treasurer shall send a determination letter to any officer who is required to
reimburse an incentive payment pursuant to this Subsection to the officer's last-known
mailing address. Reimbursement of the incentive payment shall be made to the treasurer
within twelve months of the date on the determination letter.
G.(1) Any request for an incentive payment for a deputy sheriff shall be submitted
by the sheriff of the respective parish to the Deputy Sheriff's Supplemental Pay Board for
review and approval. The board shall submit the approved request to the state treasurer for
payment. The treasurer shall remit payments from the fund for deputy sheriffs to the sheriff's
office of the respective parish. The sheriff of each parish shall expend such funds solely for
paying the incentive payment.
(2) Any request for an incentive payment for a municipal police officer shall be
submitted by the chief of police of the respective municipality to the Supplemental Pay
Board of Review for Municipal Police Officers for review and approval. The board shall
submit the approved request to the state treasurer for payment. The treasurer shall remit
payments from the fund for municipal police officers to the police department of the
respective municipality. The chief of police of each municipality shall expend such funds
solely for paying the incentive payment.
(3) Any request for an incentive payment for a law enforcement officer employed by
the office of state police shall be submitted pursuant to rules promulgated by the State Police
Commission. The treasurer shall remit payments from the fund for the officer to the office
of state police. The office of state police shall expend such funds solely for paying the
incentive payment.
(4) Every request submitted pursuant to this Subsection shall include:
(a) Certification from the submitting party that the newly employed officer meets the
eligibility criteria for receiving the incentive payment.
(b) A form signed by the newly employed officer acknowledging the reimbursement
requirements for failure to maintain eligibility.
H. Payments shall be made on a first-come, first-served basis upon receipt of the
approved request of any entity as provided for in Subsection G of this Section. Payments
shall cease when all monies in the fund have been expended.
I. To the extent necessary, any local civil service system shall promulgate rules for
the effective implementation of this Section within its jurisdiction.
J. The provisions of this Section shall terminate on July 1, 2027. Upon termination
of the program, the treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to transfer any unexpended
and unencumbered monies in the fund to the state general fund.

Legislative History

Acts 2023, No. 376, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 385, §3, eff. June 20, 2025.