Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:4878 – Reciprocal enforcement of traffic offenses in contiguous parishes
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:4878
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- 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.
A. The provisions of this Section shall apply only to contiguous parishes. For the purposes of this Section, contiguous parishes are parishes which share a common boundary.
B. Parish governing authorities may enter into reciprocal agreements for the enforcement of traffic ordinances of the parishes or of the municipalities within the parishes. The agreement may include provisions relating to service of citation; personal jurisdiction; issuance of bench and arrest warrants; enforcement of judgments, warrants, and orders, and any other matters relating to enforcement of traffic ordinances.
C. In the absence of an agreement as authorized in Subsection B herein, the following provisions shall apply:
(1) The governing authority of a parish may provide by ordinance for the service of citation on residents of contiguous parishes who have allegedly violated a traffic ordinance of the parish adopting the ordinance or of a municipality within that parish. The service of citation shall be by registered mail, return receipt requested. Proof of such service shall be deemed service sufficient to establish personal jurisdiction over the alleged offender in any court which has subject matter jurisdiction over the offense.
(2) A court which obtains jurisdiction over a defendant as provided herein may issue a bench warrant for a defendant who fails to appear in court at the time stated in the citation.
(3) A bench warrant, judgment, or order of a court which obtains jurisdiction over a defendant as provided herein may be enforced in any manner not inconsistent with the constitution or laws of this state.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 725, §1.