§407.  Ex officio notaries for municipal police departments

A.  Notwithstanding any provisions of the law relative to qualifications of notaries public, any chief of police of a municipal police department may designate officers in his office and any mayor in a municipality with a population of less than fifteen thousand may designate employees in his office, and appoint them as ex officio notaries public.  Such designation by a mayor shall be for notarial service to the municipal police department and to the office of the mayor.

B.  Each officer or employee so appointed as ex officio notary may exercise, within his respective jurisdictional limits, 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 office of the mayor or the municipal police department for the enforcement of the provisions of any statute which provides for criminal penalties and of the municipal ordinances which the police department is charged with enforcing, and any affidavit required for the enforcement of R.S. 32:661 through 669.

C.  All acts performed by each ex officio notary public of a police department or office of the mayor authorized by this Section shall be performed without charge or other compensation and without the necessity of giving bond.

D.  The chief of police of the police department or mayor may suspend or terminate an appointment made in his office pursuant to this Section at any time and separation from the employ of the police department or office of the mayor shall automatically terminate the powers of the ex officio notary public.

Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 49, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 2005, No. 55, §1; Acts 2008, No. 120, §1, eff. June 10, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 904, §3, eff. July 10, 2008; Acts 2010, No. 283, §1.