(a) “Local sheriff” means any officer or employee of a sheriff’s office of a contracting agency, except one whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service even though the employee is subject to occasional call, or is occasionally called upon, to perform duties within the scope of active law enforcement service, but not excepting persons employed and qualifying as deputy sheriffs or equal or higher rank irrespective of the duties to which they are assigned.

(b)“Local sheriff” does not include persons employed to perform identification or communication duties other than persons in that employment on August 4, 1972, who elected within 90 days thereafter to be local safety members. A contracting agency may elect by amendment to its contract to include as “local sheriff” all persons who were employed to perform identification or communication duties on August 4, 1972, and who elect within 60 days of the effective date of the contract amendment to be local safety members. The election shall apply to the person’s past as well as future service in the employment held on the effective date but shall not apply to service following any subsequent acceptance of appointment to a position other than that held on the effective date. This subdivision shall not apply to persons employed and qualified as deputy sheriffs or equal or higher rank.

(c) Any officer or employee who is a local sheriff as defined in this section shall not be deemed to be a county peace officer, as defined in Section 20436, for any purpose under this part.

(d) This section shall not apply to the employees of any contracting agency nor to any such agency unless and until the contracting agency elects to be subject to the provisions of this section by amendment to its contract with the board, made as provided in Section 20474 or by express provision in its contract with the board.

(Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 149, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2002.)