§2494.1. Lafayette Police Department; rank of major
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, in the city of Lafayette, a vacant position in the police department at the rank of major shall be filled in the following manner:
(1) Any employee who holds the rank of sergeant or above shall be eligible to take the competitive examination for the rank of major.
(2) All employees who achieve a passing score on the competitive examination shall be eligible for selection and appointment to the position of major and shall be placed on an eligibility list presented to the chief of police.
(3) The chief of police shall select and appoint an employee from the eligibility list to fill the vacant position of major.
(4) Eligibility for admission to the competitive examination for the position of major shall be limited to members of the Lafayette Police Department.
B.(1) The appointment to the position of major shall be for a term of one year, and the employee holding this position shall be subject to annual review by the chief of police.
(2) After each annual review by the chief of police, the chief may reconfirm the employee for another one-year period or may, at his discretion, demote the employee to his former class of position. The chief of police may reconfirm the employee holding the position of major without the need for the employee to retest.
(3) If an employee is demoted from the position of major pursuant to this Subsection, he shall not forfeit any departmental or promotional seniority in his classified rank and the demotion shall not constitute corrective or disciplinary action. The employee shall not have a right to appeal the action authorized by this Subsection.
C. Any employee who holds the position of major may, while holding this position, apply for admission to the promotional examination for the class next higher than that from which he was appointed as major. However, the name and score of any employee serving as major shall not be certified to the appointing authority by the civil service board as eligible for appointment to a position of the promotional class. His name and score shall be eligible for certification, in accordance with the maximum period for which a name may remain on the eligibility list, only upon demotion to the position from which he was appointed as major.
D. Any employee who is appointed from a position in the classified police service to serve as major shall not forfeit his departmental or promotional seniority accumulated to the date of his appointment. He shall continue to accumulate departmental and promotional seniority in accordance with the provisions of this Part during the time he holds the position of major.
E. If a vacancy cannot be filled by reinstatement or by reemployment as provided in this Part, the board shall certify the names of the eligible persons on the promotional list in the order in which they appear for the class in which the vacancy is to be filled.
F. If the provisions of this Section conflict with any local ordinance, policy, or restriction regarding the eligibility and appointment process for the rank of major, the provisions of this Section shall govern.
G.(1) The provisions of this Section shall apply only to an employee occupying a position at the rank of major or promoted to a position at the rank of major in the Lafayette Police Department when either:
(a) The employee occupying the position on July 1, 2025, has not completed the working test period or otherwise has probational status to a position at the rank of major.
(b) The appointment is to fill a vacant position at the rank of major that exists on and after July 1, 2025.
(2) The provisions of this Section shall not apply to an employee with permanent status to a position at the rank of major in the Lafayette Police Department on July 1, 2025.
Acts 2025, No. 332, §1, eff. July 1, 2025.