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HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 5Pt. 3Ch. 4Art. 4§ 20429 Expanding Local Police Officer Definition

§ 20429 Expanding Local Police Officer Definition

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 20429 Expanding Local Police Officer Definition

Key Takeaways

  • •This law defines who counts as a 'local police officer' in certain agencies.
  • •It includes officers whose main job is active law enforcement, like patrolling or responding to crimes.
  • •It excludes people who mostly do office work, fix things, or handle communications, even if they sometimes help with police work.
  • •Agencies that aren't cities or counties can choose to follow this rule by changing their contract with the board.

Example

A person works for a school district as a security guard. Most of the time, they check IDs and monitor cameras, but sometimes they help with small issues like breaking up a fight.

This person would not count as a 'local police officer' under this law because their main job is security, not active law enforcement like patrolling or responding to crimes.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 20429 Expanding Local Police Officer Definition

“Local police officer” also includes any officer or employee of a contracting agency other than a city or a county who is a peace officer as defined in the Penal Code and whose principal duties consist of active law enforcement but excluding clerical personnel or those whose principal duties are that of communication officer, identification officer, machinist, mechanic, security officer or are otherwise not clearly within the scope of active law enforcement, even though the person is subject to occasional call, or is occasionally called upon to perform duties within the scope of active law enforcement. The provisions of this section shall apply to any contracting agency that is not a city or county with respect to any of its employees who were local police officers within the meaning of Section 20425 prior to its amendment by Chapter 625 of the Statutes of 1975 and in employment on January 1, 1976. The provisions of this section shall not otherwise apply to the employees of any contracting agency nor to any contracting agency 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. 2002, Ch. 664, Sec. 102. Effective January 1, 2003.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

local police officercontracting agencyactive law enforcementpeace officer

Related Statutes

  • § 20423 Harbor Police Safety Membership
  • § 20423.3 Airport Officer Safety Membership
  • § 20423.5 Park Ranger Safety Members
  • § 20420 Public Safety Employee Coverage
  • § 20422 Emergency Medical Personnel Inclusion

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 20429.
View Official Source