Los Angeles Municipal Code Art. 4 Animal Control Officer Reserve Corps

An Animal Control Officer Reserve Corps (hereinafter referred to as “ The Corps”) is hereby created and established as an organization which shall be composed of persons who shall have been appointed and sworn in as members thereof (sometimes hereinafter referred to in the singular as “member” or in the plural as “members”) by the General Manager of the Department of Animal Services or by a Deputy designated by the General Manager for such purpose. The number of members of the Corps may be increased by a number not to exceed 150 during any fiscal year commencing with the fiscal year 1982-1983. Members shall be volunteer workers only and shall not be or be deemed to be employees of the City or of the Department of Animal Services for any purpose other than for the purposes of Section 22.10.7 of this article and shall serve gratuitously as such for at least eighteen hours each calendar month.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82. Amended by: “Department of Animal Regulation” renamed “Department of Animal Services,” Ord. No. 174,661, Eff. 8-9-02.

The General manager with the assistance of the Personnel Department, shall establish the requirements to be met by persons to qualify to become members of the Corps. Such requirements shall include but need not be limited to physical, mental, aptitude, personality inventory and character standards and the mandatory training of such persons, for a minimum of 280 hours, in all fields, of animal control and activity in accordance with standards established by the General Manager. It shall be the duty of the General Manager to provide such training for such persons and also any further training for members which the General Manager may deem to be necessary or desirable.

The Medical Services Division of the Personnel Department shall determine the physical fitness of persons to become members and of members to continue as such.

Whenever all of the requirements to qualify to become a member have been met by any person and that person has certified in writing that the provisions of this article have been read, that person may be appointed as a member by the General Manager for such purpose. However, the General Manager or any such designated Deputy, with or without cause therefor, need not appoint any particular person as a member.

The General Manager, with or without cause therefor, may terminate any member at any time and any member may resign as such at any time by written notice thereof to the General Manager. Any member who shall cease to be such shall surrender, at the time the member shall cease to be such, all property of the City which shall have been issued to the member pursuant to the provisions of this article or otherwise.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82. Amended by: Third Para., Ord. No. 173,290, Eff. 6-30-00, Oper. 7-1-00.

The General Manager, subject to the restrictions and limitations contained in this article, shall have complete authority and control over the Corps and its members and may delegate the exercise thereof, in whole or in part, to any subordinates. The General Manager or any of the General Manager’s subordinates so designated may establish, by order which may be changed from time to time, rules and regulations governing the Corps and its members, providing for the maintenance of discipline and the assigning of each member to perform animal control duties in a vehicle with a member of the Department (hereinafter referred to as a “regular Animal Control Officer”), in animal care and control assignments.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82.

Each member, while serving as such, shall have status as an Animal Control Officer or as a public officer and, as such, shall have the power and authority, as does a regular Animal Control Officer while serving as such. However, each member, at all times other than while serving as such:

(1) shall not have status as an Animal Control Officer or as a public officer;

(2) shall not have any power, authority or duty as an Animal Control Officer or as a public officer; and (3) shall not represent,
identify or hold themself out to be an Animal Control Officer or a public officer.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82.

Each member of the Corps shall be issued, at City expense and at no expense to the members, items as follows:

(1) a uniform which shall be identical to that issued to a regular Animal Control Officer;

(2) necessary field equipment as determined by the General Manager, including a cap piece and a badge, all of which, except the badge, shall be identical to those issued to a regular Animal Control Officer, the badge to have inscribed thereon the letter “R” preceding the identification number; and

(3) an identification card which shall show the person as being a member.

Each member, while serving as such, shall wear, display or carry, as the case may be, every item which shall have been issued to the member, whether or not hereinabove mentioned, provided, however, that the member shall fully comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations required of a regular Animal Control Officer. Each member, at all times other than while serving as such, shall not wear, display or carry, as the case may be, any such item unless so doing in such a manner that the item, if it were to be seen by another person, could not be identified as one issued to a regular Animal Control Officer or to a member of the Corps. Each item which shall be issued to a member, whether or not hereinabove mentioned, shall remain and be the property of the City.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82.

It shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment and not to exceed six months or by a fine not to exceed $500.00, or both, for any person, not a member of the Corps:

(1) To wear, display or carry, as the case may be, any item which shall have been issued to any member of the Corps;

(2) To represent, identify or hold themself out, in any manner whatsoever, to be a member of the Corps or to have any connection with the Corps.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82.

For the purposes of this section only, each member of the Corps shall be an employee of the City only while serving any assigned shift as a member or while receiving further training as such, and any person shall be an employee of the City only while receiving any required training to become a member of the Corps.

If any such member or any such person were to suffer or sustain any illness or injury proximately caused by, arising out of, and in the course of service or training while an employee of the City, as hereinabove limited, that person shall be entitled to all of those Workers’ Compensation benefits, no more or no less, to which the person, pursuant to the provisions of Division 4 of the Labor Code of the State of California, but only upon conditions therein provided therefor, would be entitled if the person were a regular Animal Control Officer receiving a monthly salary as such.

If any such member or any such person were to die as a result of any illness or injury proximately caused by, arising out of, and in the course of the member’s or person’s service or training while an employee of the City, as hereinabove limited, those persons who if the deceased had been a regular Animal Control Officer receiving a monthly salary as such, would be entitled to any Workers’ Compensation benefits, pursuant to the provisions of Division 4 of the Labor Code of the State of California, shall be entitled, but only upon the conditions provided therefor in said Division 4, to the same benefits, no more or no less.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82.

In order to provide recognition of any member of the Corps who, during any fiscal year, performed outstanding and commendable service to the Corps, fifty dollars per member to be recognized shall be set aside in the budget for the Department of Animal Services to be utilized by the General Manager or the General Manager’s authorized Deputy for the sole purpose of administering a program to recognize such outstanding members.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 156,965, Eff. 9-9-82. Amended by: “Department of Animal Regulation” renamed “Department of Animal Services,” Ord. No. 174,661, Eff. 8-9-02.