§409.  Ex officio notaries for university police departments

A.  Notwithstanding any provisions of the law relative to qualifications for and limitations on the number of notaries public, the chief of police of a university police department, which employs peace officers who are certified pursuant to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Law and are duly authorized with the powers of arrest, may designate these officers in his office as ex officio notaries public.

B.  Each officer appointed an ex officio notary public may exercise, within the jurisdictional limits of the university police department, the functions of a notary public only to administer oaths and execute affidavits, acknowledgments, traffic tickets, and other documents, all limited to matters within the official functions of the university police department.

C.  Such ex officio notary public appointed pursuant to this Section, except for any state employee who serves as an ex officio notary public in the course and scope of his employment, shall fulfill the same bond requirements as provided by law for a notary in the parish in which the university is located.  The university shall pay as an expense the costs of the notarial seal, the notarial bond, and any fees required for filing the bond.

D.  All acts performed by such an ex officio notary public authorized by this Section shall be performed without charge or other compensation.

E.  The chief of police of the university police department may suspend or terminate an appointment made pursuant to this Section at any time, and separation from the employ of the police department shall automatically terminate the powers of such an ex officio notary public.

Acts 2003, No. 454, §1, eff. June 20, 2003.