LOCAL OFFL/POLICE CHIEFS: Provides relative to the position of police chief for the city of Baton Rouge

HLS 26RS-1122 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 832
BY REPRESENTATIVE FREIBERG
LOCAL OFFL/POLICE CHIEFS: Provides relative to the position of police chief for the
city of Baton Rouge
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 33:2481.8, relative to the city of Baton Rouge; to provide relative to the
3 position of police chief; to provide relative to the term of the police chief; to provide
4 relative to the evaluation of the police chief; to provide relative to the powers and
5 duties of the mayor-president of the city of Baton Rouge, parish of East Baton
6 Rouge, with respect to the police chief; and to provide for related matters.
7 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published
8 as provided by Article III, Section 13 of the Constitution of
9 Louisiana.
10 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
11 Section 1. R.S. 33:2481.8 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
12 §2481.8. Chief of police; city of Baton Rouge; evaluation
13 Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the chief of
14 police of the city of Baton Rouge shall be evaluated three years from the date of his
15 initial appointment by the mayor-president of the city of Baton Rouge, parish of East
16 Baton Rouge. Thereafter, the chief of police shall be evaluated every year by the
17 mayor-president. After each evaluation by the mayor-president, the mayor-president
18 may reconfirm the chief of police for another one-year period or may, at his
19 discretion, demote the chief of police to his former class of position. The demotion
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-1122 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 832
1 shall not constitute corrective or disciplinary action, and the classified employee
2 shall not have appeal rights in regards to such action.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 832 Original 2026 Regular Session Freiberg
Abstract: Requires that the police chief of the city of Baton Rouge be evaluated by the
mayor-president of the city of Baton Rouge, parish of East Baton Rouge after the
initial three years of service and each year thereafter.
Present constitution creates a fire and police civil service system applicable to municipalities
of over 13,000 in population and parishes and fire protection districts. Provides that the
system is subject to Art. XIV, §15.1 of the 1921 Constitution made statutory by the 1974
Constitution. Present law creates and provides for two fire and police civil service systems:
(1) one applicable to any municipality which operates paid police and fire departments and
which has a population of not fewer than 13,000 persons; and (2) one applicable to any
parish, fire protection district, or municipality with a population of fewer than 13,000, but
not fewer than 7,000 persons.
Proposed law retains present constitution and present law.
Present law, relative to both systems, provides that a municipal fire and police civil service
board is created in the municipal, parish, and fire protection government. Requires the board
to establish and maintain employment lists containing the names of persons eligible for
appointment to various classes of positions in the classified service. Requires that names of
persons attaining a passing score on a promotion test be placed on the promotion
employment list for the tested class, from highest to lowest, according to departmental
seniority.
Proposed law retains present law.
Proposed law additionally requires that the police chief of the city of Baton Rouge be
evaluated three years from the date of his initial appointment by the mayor-president of the
city of Baton Rouge, parish of East Baton Rouge. Further requires that the police chief be
evaluated every year thereafter by the mayor-president. Authorizes the mayor-president to
reconfirm the police chief for another one-year period or, at his discretion, demote the police
chief to his former class of position. Provides that the demotion shall not constitute
corrective or disciplinary action, and the classified employee shall not have appeal rights in
regards to such action.
(Adds R.S. 33:2481.8)
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.