RS 1460.1 - State Police Corps; establishment; pilot program
A.(1) Subject to the provisions of Subsection B of this Section, the office of state police in the Department of Public Safety and Corrections may establish a program to create and maintain a unique group of state policemen, to be known as the State Police Corps. The State Police Corps shall consist of public college graduates who during their college education were admitted into and completed the State Police Corps Training Program.
(2) The State Police Corps Program shall consist of such requirements as are specified in an agreement made by the student not later than the end of his sophomore year. Such an agreement shall require the student to undertake and successfully complete the curriculum developed in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 40:1460.2, to assist the office of state police for five hours each week while attending college, to attend and successfully complete a corpsman academy during the summer prior to his final year of study, to graduate with a baccalaureate degree from college, and to serve as a corps trooper following his graduation for a period of time specified in the agreement in exchange for payment of all tuition, fees, and books required for undergraduate courses together with a reasonable monthly stipend for living expenses during his junior and senior years, such exchange to be contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. In order to remain eligible for the program, a person shall be classified as a full-time student and maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 grading scale.
(3) Service as a corps trooper shall entitle the corps trooper to the salary commensurate with a beginning state trooper; however, no additional benefits associated with career service such as retirement and insurance shall be provided. If, at the completion of service in the State Police Corps, a corps trooper wishes to enter service as a regular state policeman, he may do so if he has received an acceptable evaluation as a corps trooper. In such a case, the time served as a corps trooper shall count as regular time served for purposes of salary and promotion but not for calculation of retirement benefits and the summer training program shall substitute for any preservice training otherwise required.
(4) Corps troopers may be used by the state police for regular duties or may be trained individually or as a class for special duty.
B. A pilot program to test the value and feasibility of the establishment of a State Police Corps, as provided in this Section, shall be designed and undertaken by the office of state police, Department of Public Safety and Corrections. This pilot program shall be contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. Such a pilot program shall begin as soon as practicable after August 1, 1990. The pilot program shall be conducted with a single cooperating public institution of higher education with a class of at least ten but no more than fifty students. The pilot program shall be monitored, documented, and evaluated. Costs, benefits, usefulness, detriments, and difficulties and all other relevant information shall be reported to the appropriate legislative committees with oversight jurisdiction as provided in the Administrative Procedure Act. Thereafter, upon favorable recommendation of the office of state police and concurrence in that recommendation by the legislative committees, the full program shall be implemented.
Acts 1990, No. 720, §1.