A. Upon application to the board as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:1306, members of this system shall be retired by the board at benefits fixed as follows:

            (1) Any member of the system, whose first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state systems occurred on or before December 31, 2010, and who has attained age fifty and who has credit for at least ten years of service shall be paid a monthly benefit equal to the sum of three and one-third percent multiplied by the member’s monthly average salary, and further multiplied by the number of years of service credited to the member’s account, but the total annual benefit shall not exceed one hundred percent of the member’s final average annual salary.

            (2)(a) Any member of the system whose initial date of employment was prior to September 8, 1978, regardless of age, who has credit for at least twenty years of service shall be paid a monthly benefit equal to the sum of three and one-third percent multiplied by the member’s monthly average salary, and further multiplied by the number of years of service credited to the member’s account, but the total annual benefit shall not exceed one hundred percent of the member’s final average annual salary.

            (b) Any member of the system whose initial date of employment occurred on or after September 8, 1978, and whose first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state systems occurred on or before December 31, 2010, who has credit for at least twenty-five years of service, regardless of age, shall be paid a monthly benefit equal to the sum of three and one-third percent multiplied by the member’s monthly average salary, and further multiplied by the number of years of service credited to the member’s account, but the total annual benefit shall not exceed one hundred percent of the member’s final average annual salary.

            (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any member of the system who participated in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan on or before June 30, 2003, and who continued in employment after participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan without a break in service and who remained in such continuous employment on July 1, 2003, shall be paid a monthly salary equal to the greater of the monthly benefit computed under La. Rev. Stat. 11:1307.1 or the sum of the member’s original benefit plus twenty percent of the member’s original average monthly salary, but the total annual benefit, including any additional benefit accrued after termination of participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan, shall not exceed one hundred percent of the member’s final average annual salary.

            B.(1) Any member of the system who is a commissioned member of the office of state police who has at least twenty years of active service and who retires under the provisions of this Section shall be entitled to purchase his firearm at fair market value, upon retirement, subject to the approval of the deputy secretary of public safety services of the department. If the qualifying member was unable to purchase his firearm prior to his death, an immediate family member listed in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection has the right of first refusal to purchase the firearm unless the immediate family member is prohibited from possessing a firearm under the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 14:95.1 or any other state or federal law.

            (2) Unless the deceased officer has designated a specific immediate family member as the beneficiary to purchase his firearm upon his death, the following immediate family members have the right of first refusal to purchase the firearm in the following order of precedence:

            (a) The surviving spouse of the deceased officer.

            (b) A child of the deceased officer. If more than one child seeks to purchase the firearm, the oldest child who seeks to purchase the firearm precedes all other children who seek to purchase the firearm in the right of first refusal.

            (c) A parent of the deceased officer.

            (d) A sibling of the deceased officer. If more than one sibling seeks to purchase the firearm, the oldest sibling who seeks to purchase the firearm precedes all other siblings who seek to purchase the firearm in the right of first refusal.

            (3) If the firearm is part of an ongoing investigation or is being used or is needed as evidence, the provisions of this Subsection do not apply until the firearm is no longer part of the investigation or is no longer needed or being used as evidence. In such case, the immediate family member with the right of first refusal to purchase the firearm may request the release of the firearm pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 15:41.

            C. Repealed by Acts 2009, No. 480, §2, eff. Oct. 1, 2009.

            D.(1) Regardless of the compensation actually paid to a member, retirement benefits from the Louisiana State Police Retirement System shall be as provided in this Chapter, except that his retirement benefits shall not exceed the amount he would receive, assuming for computation purposes his earnings were equal to the highest step of the pay range for the highest classified position in the office of state police. The member’s contributions shall be based upon the above salary assumed for computation purposes.

            (2) The provisions of this Chapter which limit retirement benefits shall be inapplicable to those persons serving as secretary and deputy secretary of the Department of Public Safety on April 18, 1977.

            E. In lieu of receiving the regular retirement salary computed pursuant to Subsection A of this Section, a member of the system who does not participate in the Back-Deferred Retirement Option Program provided by the provisions of this Chapter and who is eligible for a regular retirement salary computed pursuant to Subsection A of this Section or La. Rev. Stat. 11:1345.4 may elect to receive a reduced retirement salary plus an initial benefit, provided the initial benefit, together with the reduced retirement salary, shall be certified by the actuary to be actuarially equivalent to the member’s regular retirement salary computed pursuant to Subsection A of this Section or La. Rev. Stat. 11:1345.4. The amount of the initial benefit, as determined by the member, shall not exceed an amount equal to the member’s maximum monthly retirement salary multiplied by thirty-six. The initial benefit shall, at the option of the member, be paid as a lump sum or placed in an interest-earning account in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 11:1312.1(D)(4). Cost-of-living adjustments granted by the board of trustees to retirees who elect to receive a reduced retirement salary and an initial benefit shall be based only on the reduced retirement salary and shall not be based on the initial benefit.

            Amended by Acts 1951; 1st Ex.Sess., No. 32, §1; Acts 1952, No. 385, §1; Acts 1958, No. 19, §1; Acts 1960, No. 129, §1; Acts 1973, No. 137, §1; Acts 1977, No. 475, §1, eff. July 13, 1977; Acts 1978, No. 532, §1; Acts 1989, No. 506, §1; Acts 1989, No. 507, §2; Redesignated from La. Rev. Stat. 40:1426 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 1110, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 277, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 911, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1160, §1, eff. July 1, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 748, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2009, No. 480, §§1, 2, eff. Oct. 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 992, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2012, No. 227, §1; Acts 2017, No. 332, §1; Acts 2022, No. 247, §1, eff. June 30, 2022.