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Committee advances bill to make Lafayette police "major" position competitive amid civil‑service debate
Summary
The House Municipal and Local Affairs Committee moved Senate Bill 142 forward after debate over whether allowing a competitive class for the rank of major would erode civil‑service protections. Lafayette Chief Paul Troard and the state examiner sparred over precedent and safeguards.
The House Committee on Municipal and Local Affairs advanced Senate Bill 142 on a voice vote May 21, 2025, a measure that would allow the Lafayette Police Department to make the rank of major a competitive class rather than fill it largely by tenure.
The bill’s sponsor and Lafayette officials said the change would widen the pool of qualified candidates for the department’s executive ranks. "This will strengthen and solidify the department," Lafayette Chief of Police Paul Troard told the committee, saying the department now has 301 commissioned officers and only three majors.
The committee’s state examiner for municipal fire and police civil service raised concerns about precedent and the text of the bill. "No other department in the state of Louisiana has the class of competitive major," Adrienne Bordelon, state examiner for the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service, told the committee. Bordelon also warned that the bill’s current language could allow removal of officers who were in a working test period as majors.
Troard said the change is intended to shift promotion emphasis from tenure to demonstrated competency and to increase diversity in command; he said two people were currently on the majors eligibility list and that opening the class could raise eligibility to 25–30 percent of the force. Bordelon emphasized that the local civil‑service board retains authority to set minimum qualifications and exam eligibility.
Committee members pressed sponsors and staff for clarifying language; several asked that the bill be amended between committee and floor to ensure it would not remove or penalize officers already serving in a majors working test period. Representative Marcel moved to report the bill favorably; the motion carried without objection.
The committee record shows the sponsor and the Lafayette chief agreed to work with the state examiner and the local civil‑service board to refine the bill’s language before final floor action.
The bill now goes to the House floor for further consideration; sponsors said they would present clarifying amendments if needed.
