SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                        1051

has equal or higher total service time, a police employee upon pro-
motion shall be entitled only to the pay specified for the new rank
in the step next lower than that occupied before promotion.

24. Applicability of other law.

(a)  Generally. In cases of inconsistency between this Article and
the provisions of the Merit System, the provisions of this Article
shall control as to all matters relating to the Department.

(b)  Police employees. Except as expressly provided herein, no
provision of the Merit System shall apply to or affect the compensa-
tion, rank, grade or status of any police employee.

(c)  Civilian employees. The compensation, civilian classification,
and status of civilian employees shall be determined in accordance
with the Merit System except to the extent that specific provision
is made in this Article.

Miscellaneous Provisions

25.    Prisoners.

(a)  Detention. Any person having charge of a jail or other place
of detention shall, unless sufficient facilities are not available, re-
ceive and confine any person arrested by a police employee of the
Department without warrant or upon warrant from another county.
Such person shall be deemed to be in the custody of the Department
and shall remain in such confinement until the issuance of a warrant
or other process by a court of competent jurisdiction, or until he
can be returned to such other county. Prior to the issuance of such
warrant or process, any person so confined may be released only to
and upon written order of a police employee of the Department.

(b)  Prompt arraignment. Nothing in this section shall be con-
strued to abridge the right of any person to be taken before a judicial
officer of the State promptly after his arrest. The person having
charge of the jail or other place of detention where any person is
confined pursuant to this section, shall immediately notify the State's
Attorney of any person so confined for more than twelve hours.

26.    Services of prisoners under sentence.

The Department may agree with the Department of Correction or
the person having charge of any jail, except the Baltimore City Jail,
for the performance of labor and services, by any prisoner under
sentence, in and about the facilities of the Department. Such agree-
ment shall include provisions for the custody, supervision, trans-
portation, and subsistence of such prisoners. Escape of any prisoner
assigned to perform labor and services for the Department pursuant
to this section shall be deemed a violation of Section 139 of Article 27.

27.    Custody and sale of certain personal property.

(a) Custody. Any personal property which comes into the pos-
session of the Department shall be held until the Department deter-
mines that its custody is no longer necessary in connection with any
prosecution. As used in this section, "personal property" does not
include contraband or personal property purchased or otherwise ac-
quired for use by the Department.