J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                       443

crime, arrest offenders, protect the rights and property in and upon
such premises as fully as a regular police officer of Baltimore City.
A record of such appointment shall be kept in the office of the said
Commissioner, and any appointments so made may be revoked by
the said Commissioner at any time; and the form of badge to be
worn by such special police officer shall be prescribed by the said
Police Commissioner and, additionally, such special police officers
shall wear no uniform which does not have the approval of the Com-
missioner. Nothing herein shall be intended to permit private detec-
tives licensed under the laws of Maryland to act or be appointed
under the provisions of this section as a special police officer.

Members of Department—preservation of status.
542.

(a)    The Commissioner may abolish any rank, grade or position in
the Department existing on the effective date of this subtitle, but
no such abolition shall operate or be construed to operate to author-
ize any member of the Department to be dismissed therefrom, other
than for cause, or to reduce the salary or other pecuniary rights of
such member of the Department.

(b)    The status of every present and former member of the De-
partment who shall have been or shall have the right to be retired
under any of the provisions of Sections 580-596, inclusive, of this
title, relating to the Special Fund and Special Fund for Widows,
shall in no way be impaired, and nothing in this subtitle shall operate,
or be construed to operate in derogation of any such status or right.
Should the Commissioner determine to abolish any rank, grade or
position in the Department presently or formerly held by any mem-
ber of the Department entitled to benefits under any of the afore-
said Sections 580-596, or in pursuance of which his widow and/or
children may be entitled to benefits, said Commissioner shall si-
multaneously, by appropriate directive, establish for the rank, grade
or position so abolished an equivalent rank, grade or position in active
use in the Department, the salary for which shall not be lower than
the salary then being paid for such rank, grade or position so
abolished. It is the express intention and purpose of this subsection
to assure that every member of the Department who shall have been,
or shall subsequently have the right to be retired under the afore-
mentioned provisions of Sections 580-596, together with their eligible
widows and/or children, shall be entitled to receive, to the extent
heretofore required by law, the benefit (for purposes of computing
retirement and pension payments to be made to them) of any in-
crease, whenever granted, in the salary of the equivalent rank, grade
or position in the Department so established by the Commissioner,
as herein provided. PROVIDED FURTHER THAT ANY CHANGE
IN THE BENEFITS UNDER ANY OF THE AFORESAID SEC-
TIONS 580—596 SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE SAFEGUARDS
PROVIDED HEREIN AND FROM JULY 1, 1966, SHALL BE THE
EXCLUSIVE PROVINCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
OF BALTIMORE.

(c)    Nothing herein shall operate or be construed to operate to
impair the seniority rights of any member of the Department exist-
ing on the effective date of this subtitle.