(a) “County peace officer” means the sheriff and 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) Any other provision in this part to the contrary notwithstanding, “county peace officer” also includes and means any inspector, investigator, detective, or person with a comparable title, in any district attorney’s office of a contracting agency whose principal duties are to investigate crime and criminal cases and who receives compensation for this service.

(c) “County peace officer” 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 “county peace officer” 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 may not apply to service following any subsequent acceptance of appointment to a position other than that held on the effective date. This subdivision does not apply to persons employed and qualified as deputy sheriffs or equal or higher rank.

(d) “County peace officer” does not include any officer or employee who is a local sheriff, as defined in Section 20432 or 20432.5.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 114, Sec. 2. Effective July 5, 2002.)