(a) Requirements for Employment for Park Ranger Candidates.
1. Any Park Ranger employed by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks who received basic law enforcement training at an approved police academy at the City's expense shall reimburse the City of Los Angeles for the estimated costs of that training should he or she leave the Department voluntarily or involuntarily before having served 60 continuous months following successful completion of such training and, within a year thereafter, become employed by another law enforcement agency.
2. Upon application to the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks for a position as a Park Ranger, an applicant shall sign a written agreement stating that he or she intends to maintain employment with the Department of Recreation and Parks for at least 60 continuous months, commencing with the date of successful completion of the police academy training. The agreement will also provide that if the applicant leaves the Department of Recreation and Parks voluntarily or involuntarily before the end of the aforementioned 60 month period, and, within the following year accepts employment at another law enforcement agency, he or she will notify the Department of Recreation and Parks in writing within ten days of such acceptance. The agreement will further provide that any officer who leaves the Department of Recreation and Parks before the end of the 60 month period and who accepts employment with another law enforcement agency within a year thereafter shall reimburse the City of Los Angeles for the direct and indirect cost of the training he or she received while at the police academy.
3. The applicant will be given a copy of this section and a copy of the agreement with a reimbursement schedule attached to it. The applicant will be provided seven calendar days to review the documents and to consult with an attorney or other advisor of his or her choice. The applicant will then be required to sign the agreement, thereby acknowledging his or her understanding of the terms of this section and of the reimbursement agreement and further acknowledging that he or she is subject to them. The applicant's signing of the agreement will be witnessed and a copy will be given to the applicant. The original will be retained in the Personnel Department file under the name of the applicant.
(b) Modification of Amount of Reimbursement. If a Park Ranger subject to the terms of this section leaves the Department of Recreation and Parks within the 60 month period, as described above, and accepts employment with another law enforcement agency within one year thereafter, the Park Ranger will be required to reimburse the City of Los Angeles for the estimated direct and indirect costs related to the police academy training on a pro-rated basis calculated according to the amount of time the Park Ranger was employed in that classification by the Department of Recreation and Parks. The costs of the training will be determined on an annual basis by the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners and may be modified more frequently, if necessary, to reflect changes in training costs.
(c) Legal Costs and Attorneys Fees. In the event the Department of Recreation and Parks incurs any fees or costs in an effort to collect money owed by a Park Ranger pursuant to this section, the former employee shall pay such costs, including, but not limited to, legal interest on the amount of reimbursement funds due, in addition to the portion of the reimbursement obligation then due.
(d) Grievance and Arbitration Not Available. Any question as to the interpretation or application of this section, or relating to payment made or due under this section or under the reimbursement agreement, shall not be subject to either a grievance or arbitration under any Memorandum of Understanding applicable to the affected Park Ranger.
(e) No Modification of Any Other Terms of Employment. The provisions of this section shall in no way modify any other terms and conditions of employment, and all such pre-existing terms and conditions of employment shall remain unchanged. All Civil Service and Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks rules, regulations and procedures, and Memoranda of Understanding that relate to Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Park Rangers remain in full force and effect. The provisions of this section in no way alter, amend, or have any effect upon the authority of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks to invoke disciplinary action.
(f) No Rights Created. This section in no way guarantees any right of continued employment to any Park Ranger or recruit. Nor does this section create a property right in any affected Park Ranger or recruit.
SECTION HISTORY
Added by Ord. No. 171,665, Eff. 8-18-97.
Amended by: Sec. Title, Ord. No. 171,870, Eff. 1-30-98; Subsec. (a), Paras. 1 and 2, and Subsec. (b), Ord. No. 172,087, Eff. 7-30-98; Ord. No. 180,715, Eff. 7-9-09.