EPPJ: Talks crime

Sheriff-Elect Charles Guillory invited Evangeline Parish law enforcement, including State Police Major Wayne Vidrine, civic leaders from around the parish, and State Senator Heather Cloud and Representative Rhonda Butler, to the police jury meeting to discuss crime in the parish. In what Guillory called his pre-commencement speech before he takes office in July, he asked the parish to come together to find solutions on the crime wave plaguing the parish.
Guillory said he has 11 deputies and his budget is $2.4 million. He said Acadia Parish has a budget of $10.1 million, Maddison Parish has a budget of $8 million, and Avoyelles has $6 million. “We’re so far behind. You think I can protect the parish with 11 patrolmen? No. I can’t.” He said he gets 5.52 mills, which was set in 1977. By contrast, he said the library gets 5.21 mills. He pointed out the lowest-paid deputies are earning $11.30 per hour, and the highest-paid officer is receiving $15.75 per hour.
Guillory said Wayne Morein tried to increase the millage when he was sheriff, but the measure failed. He suggested more public education to show how much a millage increase is needed.
Councilwoman Faye Lemoine was there to represent Ville Platte. She said, “If ever there was a time to pass a tax and increase a millage, it’s now. We have reached a crisis point in our city, in our parish, and unfortunately, throughout the United States. We’ve got gangs and drugs and juveniles. If you’re thinking about increasing your budget, now is the time. We can’t do it without money.” She talked about the pay increase for Ville Platte police officers who just received a base salary of $15 per hour. She said they had to shift money from funds set aside for software. Lemoine continued, “Our money comes from property taxes. Drive around Ville Platte and see what our poor little town looks like. The property values are going down. We don’t have new homes. Nothing’s being built new in our town. Everybody’s hanging on by a thread.”
Guillory said most of the crime is coming from juveniles, but there is no juvenile facility to house them when they commit crimes. The juveniles are instead released to their parents. He also said the “jails are finished” and are in need of repair and expansion because “having a big jail and housing inmates is a source of revenue.”
Representative Butler said when juveniles in Evangeline Parish are sent to the facility in Avoyelles Parish, it costs $500 a day to hold beds ahead of time. “If you’re lucky enough to get a bed, then it’s $350 a day.”
Guillory asked Secretary Treasurer Donald Bergeron how much money was spent to house parish inmates awaiting trials. Bergeron said they paid $290,000 last year sending prisoners to multiple parishes. Guillory would like to create a facility to house these inmates and also possibly state inmates which would bring in revenue.
Basile Police Chief Allen Ivory said he has to send his juvenile delinquents to St. James Parish. “Juveniles today, some just don’t care anymore. I think it begins at home quite a bit.”
Present at the meeting was Arthur Sampson who suggested turning one of the vacant elementary schools in the parish into a juvenile facility. Guillory thought that was a good idea, although there would have to be numerous renovations and he would need an appropriate amount of correctional officers to staff the facility.
Medical Physicist Dr. Rachel McKinsey suggested more outreach to troubled youth as preventative measures, such as officers interacting with the youth of the community. A suggestion was made to have the Girls and Boys Place open year round instead of just in the summer. Guillory said he plans on going to schools and churches to talk to children to get them on the right path. He also suggested having a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer for the parish and school resource officers.
Pine Prairie Mayor Quint West, who used to be principal at Evangeline Central, said some kids are not “bad” but they just do not have basic necessities, including electricity and running water. “They don’t want to go home,” he said. He suggested getting business owners to let them work a few hours a day to give them a sense of belonging. “Some of these kids who are stealing, that’s a job for them. How else are they going to eat if they don’t steal and sell something to get money?” He continued, “You don’t know what’s going on in their life. It’s easy for us to sit back and say they’re no good. No, it’s not that they’re no good. They’re no different from us. It’s just they’re hungry. They need some direction. We have to help them. They’re not going to help us.” He and several members of the public reiterated giving juveniles jobs gives them some self worth and a sense of belonging.
Police Jury President Ryan LeDay Williams promised Charles Guillory the police jury will help in any way he can. He said they intend to “work together, to protect and serve the people of the parish. Not only will it take us and you guys, it will take the people who stay in the parish to make this change possible.”