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La. Rev. Stat. § 32:5 (2026)

Authority of other law enforcement officers; parade marshals in Calcasieu Parish and Lake Charles; traffic control officers in the city of New Orleans

✓ current as of May 2026
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§5. Authority of other law enforcement officers; parade marshals in Calcasieu Parish and Lake Charles; traffic control officers in the city of New Orleans

           A. All law enforcement officers of this state or of any political subdivision thereof invested by law with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic are authorized to enforce the provisions of this Chapter and regulations of the department and the commissioner adopted pursuant hereto, within their respective territorial jurisdictions, except as otherwise provided by law or this Chapter.

           B. The governing authorities of the city of Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish may employ parade marshals who shall have the authority to direct, control, and regulate traffic for parade events only. However, such parade marshals shall not have the authority to issue traffic citations.

           C. The superintendent of police in the city of New Orleans may contract with or employ traffic control officers who shall have the authority to direct, control, and regulate traffic within the city of New Orleans. However, no such officer shall have the authority to issue traffic citations. The New Orleans Police Department shall establish a training program for any such traffic control officers.

           Acts 1962, No. 310, §1. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 113, §1, eff. June 22, 1977; Acts 2004, No. 136, §1; Acts 2016, No. 247, §1, eff. August 1, 2016.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 16 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1970–2026 · leading case: Blair v. Tynes, 621 So. 2d 591 (La. 1993).
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Blair v. Tynes, 621 So. 2d 591 (La. 1993). · cites it 2× “R.S. 32:5 [6] vests all *596 law enforcement officers of the state or its political subdivisions with authority to direct, control or regulate traffic and enforce the provisions of the Traffic Code and regulations of the Department of Public Safety.”
Duvernay v. St. Through Dept. of Pub. Saf., 433 So. 2d 254 (La. Ct. App. 1983). “The Highway Regulatory Act, LSA-R.S. 32:5, designates all law enforcement officers having the proper authority (which includes Sheriff's offices) to enforce highway regulations, which include controlling traffic under a given situation.”
Miller v. Bailey, 621 So. 2d 1174 (La. Ct. App. 1993). “LSA-R.S. 32:5. The trial judge found that the failure of the DPS to enforce the no parking laws was a cause of the accident.”
Hayes v. Parkem Indus. Servs., Inc., 598 So. 2d 1194 (La. Ct. App. 1992). “R.S. 32:5, invests law enforcement officers in the state with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic "within their respective territorial jurisdictions.”
Hopper v. Bills, 232 So. 2d 296 (La. 1970). · cites it 2× “" LSA-R.S. 32:5 provides that: "All law enforcement officers of this state or any political subdivision thereof invested by law with authority to direct, control or regulate traffic are authorized to enforce the provisions of this Chapter and regulations of the department and…”
Kramer v. Cont'l Cas. Co., 641 So. 2d 557 (La. Ct. App. 1994). “The Louisiana Supreme Court rejected the Sheriff's Office's denial of a duty, and held that LSA-R.S. 32:5, which authorizes law enforcement officers to enforce state traffic laws, created a duty toward these pedestrians.”
Washington v. State, Dept. of Transp. & Dev., 663 So. 2d 47 (La. Ct. App. 1995). “R.S. 32:5. In the absence of an affirmative act by Wilson Oil encouraging vehicles to illegally park on the shoulder along Highway 126, the remaining facts in this case do not provide any basis for Wilson Oil to be liable to plaintiff.”
Dubroc v. Allstate Ins. Co., 633 So. 2d 861 (La. Ct. App. 1994). “R.S. 32:5. Thus, the deputy was empowered to investigate when he saw a car stopped with several people in it and one of them throwing up on the side of the road.”
Suhr v. Felter, 589 So. 2d 583 (La. Ct. App. 1991). “Conversely, the City's police officers have no duty (or authority) to act when no law or regulation has been violated.”
State v. Leagea, 442 So. 2d 699 (La. Ct. App. 1983). “R.S. 32:5. When Maranto saw that the license plates on defendant's moving vehicle had expired, he was under a duty to stop him and issue a citation.”
Racca v. St. Mary Sugar Coop., Inc., 872 So. 2d 1117 (La. Ct. App. 2004). “Law enforcement officers of the state or its political subdivisions have authority vested in them by law to direct, control, or regulate traffic and enforce the provisions of the Traffic Code and regulations of the Department of Public Safety.”
Bar-Tow, Inc. v. Roy's Transp., Inc., 616 So. 2d 203 (La. Ct. App. 1993). “’ ” LSA-R.S. 32:5 states: “All law enforcement officers of this state or of any political subdivision thereof invested by law with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic are authorized to enforce the provisions of this Chapter and regulations of the department and the…”
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