A.  State police, in uniform or in civilian clothes, with state police equipment, have free and unhampered passage, at all times, on and over toll-bridges and ferries in this state.

B.  All law enforcement personnel, with law enforcement agency equipment, who are employed within this state shall have unhampered passage at all times on and over toll-bridges and ferries in this state, regardless of whether the personnel are in uniform or in civilian clothes.  Procedures currently in effect for Louisiana state police to sign a register when granted an exemption from tolls, shall also apply to all other law enforcement personnel in the state.

C.(1)  Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsections A and B of this Section, the right of free passage on and over the Crescent City Connection Bridge at New Orleans for state police and law enforcement personnel shall be exercised only by means of automatic vehicular identification toll tags.

(2)(a)  Upon the written request of the superintendent of state police or the head of a law enforcement agency and payment of the deposit required by Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, the Crescent City Connection Division of the Department of Transportation and Development shall issue the number of automatic vehicular identification toll tags requested for use in connection with the exemption granted by this Section.

(b)  Each state policeman and law enforcement personnel shall be charged a deposit of twenty-five dollars for the issuance of his tag.  The deposit shall be refunded to such state policeman and law enforcement personnel upon the return of the tag to the division.

(3)  The use of the automatic vehicular identification toll tags provided shall be limited to bridge crossings made by state police with state police equipment and by designated law enforcement personnel with law enforcement agency equipment.  The appropriate law enforcement agency shall be responsible for any crossing made using the automatic vehicular identification toll tag outside the scope of the exemption granted by this Section.

D.  The Department of Transportation and Development shall adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act for the administration of the provisions of this Section on those toll bridges and ferries under their jurisdiction.

Acts 1991, No. 867, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1021, §2, eff. June 27, 2001.