By: NANCY DUPLECHAIN
Staff Reporter
Crime was one major topic of discussion at the March 12 meeting of the Ville Platte City Council.
Councilwoman Anna Frank and Councilman Shawn Roy expressed condolences to the family of Andrew Thomas over his recent shooting death.
Frank asked the public to “report, report, report what you see” when it comes to crime.
Roy took issue with city cameras not working. “What a coincidence. Three shootings happened where cameras were not working,” he said.
Looking through studies of the correlation between crime rates and cameras in cities, Roy read how the use of cameras act as a deterrent and help to solve crimes. For large cities, such as Chicago and Baltimore, the use of cameras has helped to drop the crime rate by 51%, according to Roy’s findings. “I think it’s a quick fix to slow the crime down,” said Roy.
Mayor Ryan Leday Williams said he has somebody working on pulling the data from the cameras the night Thomas was shot. Williams also said he is collaborating with Chief of Police Al Perry Thomas to put substantially more cameras in the city.
For the month of February, the police responded to a total of 544 calls for assistance, issued 10 citations, made 30 arrests with 10 felony arrests, and responded to 15 accidents with no fatalities.
Calls were down by 89 from January. Additionally, Chief Thomas announced the hire of six new officers, several of whom have military experience.
After introducing Daryl Harrison, Devin Cole McDaniel, Justin Janda, Steve Ware, Isaac Johnson, and Jamshod Fayyaz as new officers, Chief Thomas said he had been hearing “a lot of chatter” concerning his law enforcement qualifications. He said he heard rumors that he should not be allowed to make arrests or carry a weapon.
Thomas presented his credentials to the council, giving them to Mayor Williams to read aloud to prove that he is, in fact, POST certified in the state of Louisiana. Later, when asked about rumors of his lack of qualifications, Thomas said, “These are desperate lies. There will be more lies. I’m asking the community to be mindful of the things they hear, because some people are functioning on personal agendas and not public interest.”
Mayor Williams expressed condolences over the death of long-time police officer and public servant, Linton Fontenot. “He served our citizens for over 30 years,” said Williams. “Our continued prayers go out to the family.”
In other business, Fire Chief Chris Soileau promoted and pinned Kirk Fontenot as a probationary captain of C Shift. Soileau also presented Fontenot with his new red helmet which indicates line officers. Fontenot has been a full-time operator with the Ville Platte Fire Department since 2010.
Chief Soileau also reported for the month of February there were 21 incidents inside and outside city limits. Two of the incidents were structure fires. No fatalities were reported. The council approved Ciaiaphas Freeman as a new hire. He will soon attend the fire academy in Rapides Parish.
For more from Tuesday’s meeting, pick up a copy of the Sunday, March 17, edition of the Ville Platte Gazette.
June 19, 2026
