What the current administration has done for Vermilion Parish can’t be taken away. In my opinion, they’ve done a tremendous job in advancing the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office to where it is today.
My plan is to take everything good they’ve done for Vermilion Parish and add a lot more to make the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office a whole new respected and efficient department.
A few areas of concern that I will concentrate on:
Community Policing– The public needs to know the men and women of Vermilion Parish that are charged with protecting them. What better way of making them feel safer than building a personal relationship between the officers and the public for which they serve. I will train personnel on advanced Community Policing techniques to better connect with citizens of Vermilion Parish.
- If we’re patrolling and see someone working in their yard, stop and have a conversation
- Hold Citizens Academy’s offering to show the people of Vermilion Parish exactly what we do and what we go through as Law Enforcement Officers on a daily basis to make Vermilion Parish Safer.
- Committing to police presence at all major events and particularly, church functions.
- The thin blue line is the line between order and chaos. I want to build an atmosphere of stability, mutual understanding and respect.
Leadership– I will provide leadership training to all personnel in management roles. I want leaders to:
- Improve communication skills.
- Foster personal development.
- Mentor subordinates in an effort to develop them into leaders.
Expanding and creating specialized divisions:
- I want to expand our K9 division. I have a plan to put a K9 on each shift so the burden doesn’t rely solely on one K9 team. This will considerably cut down a K9 teams response time.
- Everyone knows there is a main corridor utilized for moving illegal drugs within Vermilion Parish. I’ve seen and experienced the effects and benefits of drug interdiction. I plan on creating a Criminal Patrol Unit to cripple drug movement to and thru Vermilion Parish. I want to get these criminals where it hurts most:
- Seize and take their illegal narcotics
- Seize and take their money derived from illegal narcotic activities
- Seize and take their vehicles used to transport their illegal narcotics.
Most of the men and women that work for the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office are obviously proud to wear the uniform. They appear tech savvy and seem to have the best equipment which is a major accomplishment by the present administration.
With my guidance, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office will gain even greater respect as a premier Law Enforcement agency that attracts the best of the best. We already have great people working there, with the current state of affairs, the coming years may be challenging to Law Enforcement. Without committing to Community Policing and creating an atmosphere of stability and mutual respect between Law Enforcement and the people of Vermilion Parish, we are faced with one questionable incident taken by Law Enforcement that could strain Law Enforcement’s existence. It’s up to us as leaders to forge a relationship where our citizens will continue to have our backs.
I want to be Sheriff of Vermilion Parish because it’s a position in which I can be most effective in serving the people of Vermilion Parish and lead the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office to success. I was retired, but this is a calling and there is a lot more I still have to do in Vermilion Parish. It’s who I am and public service is what I do.