PART VII.  ANIMAL CONTROL AGENCY OFFICERS

§2501.  Animal control agency control officers; applicable parishes; P.O.S.T. certification; commissions; powers

A.  Any animal control agency maintained by a parish governing authority described in Subsection B of this Section shall be authorized to commission such animal control officers as provided in Subsection B of this Section as animal control investigators or specialists of the agency who, if P.O.S.T. certified, shall exercise regular police powers of the state granted to law enforcement officers.  Any such investigator or specialist shall be empowered to enforce all animal-related crimes defined by ordinance or state law including but not limited to animals at large, animal cruelty, dog fighting, animal theft, or any law or ordinance governing animal disease control.

B.  The commissioning of animal control officers designated in Subsection A of this Section shall be applicable only to those parishes who maintain animal control agencies with a population of over fifty thousand, according to the most recent federal decennial census as follows, subject to the following limitations:

(1)  An animal control agency maintained by the parish governing authority in a parish with a population of over fifty thousand, according to the most recent federal decennial census, but less than one hundred thousand according to the most recent federal decennial census, may commission one P.O.S.T. certified animal control officer.

(2)  An animal control agency in a parish with a population of over one hundred thousand, according to the most recent federal decennial census but less than one hundred fifty thousand according to the most recent federal decennial census, may commission two P.O.S.T. certified animal control officers.

(3)  An animal control agency in a parish with a population of over one hundred fifty thousand according to the most recent federal decennial census may commission three P.O.S.T. certified animal control officers.

C.  Any officer designated in Subsection A of this Section who has met the qualifications of P.O.S.T. and was P.O.S.T. certified on or after January 1, 2000, and has maintained firearm qualifications and worked continuously for an animal control agency designated in Subsection B of this Section shall be deemed to be P.O.S.T. certified.

Acts 2006, No. 807, §1; Acts 2009, No. 21, §1.