PART III. PROVISIONS AFFECTING ONLY

PARISH OF ORLEANS

§5581. Sheriff for parish of Orleans; election; term

A. There shall be one sheriff for the parish of Orleans, who shall be elected by the qualified electors of the parish of Orleans. He shall be elected at the election for parochial and municipal officers in Orleans Parish, shall serve for a term of four years, and shall take office and begin his term on the first Monday in May following his election.

B. When the sheriff provided for in Subsection A of this Section takes office, the separate offices of the civil sheriff and the criminal sheriff for the parish of Orleans shall be abolished, and the sheriff shall be the successor to and exercise all of the functions, duties, and responsibilities of their respective offices, which shall be merged and consolidated within the office of the sheriff for the parish of Orleans.

C.(1) All books, papers, records, money, actions, and other property of every kind and description, movable and immovable, real and personal, possessed, controlled, or used by the civil sheriff and the criminal sheriff shall be transferred to the office of the sheriff.

(2) The sheriff shall have and shall exercise all of the powers, duties, and functions of the civil sheriff of the parish of Orleans and the criminal sheriff of the parish of Orleans. The sheriff shall provide for the ongoing merger and consolidation of the offices of the civil and criminal sheriff within his office and shall develop a plan for retaining, appointing, removing, assigning and promoting such deputies and other personnel necessary for the efficient and effective operation of his office. The sheriff shall complete the merger and consolidation as soon as practicable after taking office. This plan shall include detailed procedures for the realignment, distribution, assignment, consolidation, and coordination of the powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities of each office and also shall include procedures for the transfer and utilization of positions, personnel, funds, office space, facilities, and equipment, including relocation of facilities if deemed appropriate. The sheriff shall accomplish the consolidation of the offices of the civil and criminal sheriff into his office with the least possible disruption of services and the least possible expenditure of public funds.

D. Whenever the civil sheriff of the parish of Orleans or the criminal sheriff of the parish of Orleans is referred to or designated by law, rule, or regulation on the date that those offices are abolished, such reference or designation shall be deemed to apply to the sheriff of the parish of Orleans.

Acts 2006, No. 621, §4 (see notes for eff. date); Acts 2008, No. 873, §1, eff. July 9, 2008; Acts 2009, No. 125, §1, eff. June 25, 2009; Redesignated from R.S. 33:1500 pursuant to Acts 2011, No. 248, §3.

NOTE: See Acts 2006, No. 621, §23. The Section is effective on the date the sheriff elected at the election of parochial and municipal offices in Orleans Parish in 2010 takes office, except that R.S. 33:5581(A) is effective on June 23, 2006, only for purposes of qualifying and election of sheriff in 2010. Acts 2008, No. 873, §1, extended the date to 2014; Acts 2009, No. 125, §1, changed the date to 2010.

NOTE: See Acts 2006, No. 621, §31, prohibiting a special election if a vacancy occurs in the office of civil or criminal sheriff.