(a) The department shall protect the state park system and the state vehicular recreation area and trail system from damage and preserve the peace therein.

(b) The director may designate any officer or employee of the department as a peace officer. The primary duties of the peace officer shall be the enforcement of this division, Sections 4442 and 4442.5, the rules and regulations of the department, Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 650) of Division 3 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, the rules and regulations of the Division of Boating and Waterways within the department, Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 9850) of Division 3.5 of the Vehicle Code, and Division 16.5 (commencing with Section 38000) of the Vehicle Code and to arrest persons for the commission of public offenses within the property under its jurisdiction. The authority and powers of the peace officer shall be limited to those conferred by law upon peace officers listed in § 830.2 of the Penal Code.

Terms Used In California Public Resources Code 5008

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • County: includes "city and county. See California Public Resources Code 14
  • department: means the Department of Parks and Recreation and "director" means the Director of Parks and Recreation. See California Public Resources Code 5001.1
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.

(c) The department shall protect property included in the California recreational trail system and the property included in the recreational trail system under Section 6 of Chapter 1234 of the Statutes of 1980 from damage and preserve the peace therein. The primary duties of any officer or employee designated a peace officer under this section shall include enforcement of the rules and regulations established by the department and the arrest of persons for the commission of public offenses within the property included in the recreational trail system under Section 6 of Chapter 1234 of the Statutes of 1980.

(d) Any person who violates the rules and regulations established by the department is guilty of either a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 90 days, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment, or an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 499, Sec. 6. (SB 795) Effective January 1, 2016.)