Law enforcement officers may not take compensation for referring people to specific attorneys, law firms, or investigators as potential clients.
§1413. Law enforcement officers; grounds for removal; method for removal A. It is essential to the proper operation of democratic government in general and of law enforcement agencies in particular that public law enforcement officials and employees be independent and impartial; that decisions and recommendations by law enforcement officers be made through the proper channels of governmental structure; that positions of trust in law enforcement agencies not be used for private gain other than the remuneration provided by law; and that there be public confidence in the integrity of law enforcement organizations. It is the policy and purpose of these provisions to implement these objectives of protecting the integrity of the government of this state by prescribing essential restrictions on the conduct of law enforcement officers during the course of their discharge of official duties and responsibilities. B. No law enforcement officer, whether a state, district, parochial, ward, or municipal officer, shall refer any person, with whom such officer has any relation or comes into contact in his professional capacity as a law enforcement officer, to any specific attorney at law, law firm, or investigator as a potential client, when said law enforcement officer receives any compensation for such referral. C. Any law enforcement officer violating the provisions of Subsection B of this Section shall be removed from office as a law enforcement officer, and shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than five years, or both, subject to applicable civil service laws, rules, and regulations, if any. Added by Acts 1977, No. 758, §1. Acts 1993, No. 420, §3.