2005 Annual Report - St James Parish Sheriff`s Office
Transcription
2005 Annual Report - St James Parish Sheriff`s Office
St. James Parish Annual Report St. James Parish O F F I C E Dear friends, Welcome again to our annual report to you, the citizens of St. James Parish. We’ve been busy, making technological and organizational advancements to our department. Normally, I use this page to go into detail on these efforts. But these are not ordinary times. There’s one topic on everyone’s mind – Hurricanes Katrina and Rita! Several homes here were severely damaged by Katrina. The biggest casualties were trees and power lines as the entire parish lost electrical and telephone service. Through the tireless work of parish employees and utility personnel, both were restored within about a week – some areas sooner. Recent enhancements to our radio system paid off as we never lost communications capabilities. The day after the levees in New Orleans failed, I, along with St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office (SJPSO) deputies, went by boat into the flooded area to assist search-and-rescue efforts. Law enforcement was temporarily overwhelmed by the number of citizens who showed up to lend a hand. Numerous teams of SJPSO deputies continued to go to the city daily for weeks, assisting the recovery operation. We are still making deliveries of non-perishable food, medicines and basic supplies to the area. On the other end of our state, we assisted recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Rita, the second storm to slam Louisiana within one month. We sent supplies and groups of deputies to assist the residents of Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes as they, too, pick up the pieces and move forward. These situations always bring out the best in people with thousands of instances of unselfishness and bravery. I’m extremely proud of our department during these times of crisis as many employees worked continuously for days, taking little time to rest. Katrina has forced some New Orleans corporate offices to relocate to St. James. Many evacuees from both storms are here, living with friends and family until their lives can be put back in order. Let’s have a little patience and show these visitors our famous hospitality. If you need us, call us. Dial 911, and we’ll respond as quickly as possible. Please, let me know how I or the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office can further assist you. Very truly yours, WILLY J. MARTIN, JR. Sheriff, St. James Parish St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office Annual Report Thinkstream Homeland Security One of the most exciting advances in law enforcement technology is now available to the SJPSO. Louisiana is set to be the first state totally connected to Thinkstream, an Internet-based information-sharing system that allows an instant, nationwide background check on a suspected criminal. A South Vacherie native, Deputy Robert Jones is the SJPSO’s new homeland security officer. Deputy Jones also prepares grants to secure state and federal funds for law enforcement equipment and activities. “In the past, a detective would have to contact various law enforcement agencies to see if a suspect was wanted there,” Sheriff Martin said. “Thinkstream connects city police and sheriff’s offices, providing access to criminal histories, arrest records, incident reports and even vehicle registrations. With a few keystrokes, a deputy can virtually search the nation using data through the National Crime Information Center.” Sheriff Martin said that in a few seconds, Thinkstream accumulates more useful investigative information than could be gathered manually in hours or days. Funded with a state grant from the Metropolitan Law Enforcement District, Sheriff Martin believes that by using Thinkstream fewer criminals will slip through the cracks. Deputy Cleo Page (in van) and Detective Claude Louis use the new Thinkstream technology to retrieve information on a criminal suspect. Thinkstream can be incorporated into a personal digital assistant (PDA). “Cooperation and communication are crucial to homeland security,” Sheriff Martin said. “Deputy Jones coordinates the efforts of the federal, state and local agencies working to keep St. James safe.” Deputy Jones conducts meetings with citizens and local groups, instructing them on how to be aware of possible threats, what your sheriff’s office is doing to protect you and methods to contact us if you notice suspicious activities. He also speaks to businesses about workplace violence and assists in training employees to recognize potentially dangerous situations. SJPSO Homeland Security Officer Robert Jones served 24 years in the Louisiana Army National Guard before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. His last military assignment was Deputy Chief of Staff for the 12,000 member Guard. “The face of homeland security changes every day,” Sheriff Martin said. “We will continue to focus our efforts on preventing and detecting threats to our way of life.” If you'd like to have Deputy Jones speak to your organization, contact the SJPSO at 225-562-2200 or 225-265-2102. Hurricane Katrina Residents of St. James truly know the meaning of the old phrase, “It could have been a lot worse!” A glancing blow by powerful Hurricane Katrina was more than enough to disrupt the everyday routine of our community. Thankfully there was no loss of life in the parish because of the storm, but several homes and businesses, as well as crops, sustained damage. Fleet Management A while back, a TV commercial for a brand of engine filters featured an auto mechanic saying “Pay me now or pay me later.” The idea was to do vehicle maintenance now and avoid costly repair bills in the future. Following that advice, the SJPSO recently established Deputy Gordon Fenley as fleet manager. “It’s imperative that our vehicles stay ready to assist citizens,” Sheriff Martin said. “This new program ensures that units will be ready when needed.” Working with our mechanics, Deputy Fenley not only keeps the many patrol units you see every day operating at peak efficiency, he tracks their use to make sure that scheduled maintenance is performed. Unmarked cars, tractors, trucks and even the sheriff’s office boat and ATVs must be maintained and ready for search-and-rescue missions. Essay Winner From St. James Parish A St. James Parish student’s D.A.R.E. essay has been recognized as the best in the state. Christian Verret was named first place winner at the Louisiana D.A.R.E. conference in Alexandria and took home a plaque and two $100 savings bonds for his outstanding composition. Christian cleared numerous hurdles to take the state’s top prize, including winning the parish and regional contests. As they headed west, evacuees from New Orleans found St. James Parish to be one of the first places they could stop for food and services. Many gas stations and grocery stores were overwhelmed by the number of people seeking supplies. “In some instances,” Sheriff Martin said, “Deputies stepped in to help control crowds so people could get what they needed in an orderly manner. But, there were no major problems as everyone realized that we had to get through this together.” SJPSO used extra patrols to enforce the 7 pm to 7 am curfew. Deputies are still working extra hours to handle the demands of additional traffic and population brought by evacuees, many of whom are still calling our parish home. “Properly maintaining our fleet will save parish taxpayers money in the long run,” Sheriff Martin said. “Vehicles will last longer and require repair less often.” “Altogether, St. James did pretty well considering the enormity of this storm and the huge number of people affected,” Sheriff Martin said. “It’s going to be a while longer before we return to normal, or whatever the ‘new’ normal is.” Sheriff Martin presents a plaque from the SJPSO to St. James Parish student Christian Verret for winning the state D.A.R.E. essay contest. The sheriff’s office also gave Christian a commemorative jacket. Behind Christian is (L-R) his mother, Elizabeth Verret, Detective Nora Steib, SJPSO D.A.R.E. Officer and Christian’s grandmother, Bernice Love. Deputy Gordon Fenley oversees all maintenance and repairs to SJPSO vehicles. No stranger to crucial machinery, he worked with B-52 bombers and headed the pit crew for the Thunderbirds aerial acrobatic team before retiring from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant. “Perhaps the biggest issue was the parishwide loss of electricity, which was restored to some areas as soon as the day after the storm,” Sheriff Martin said. “Other areas, particularly the West Bank, took longer to come back because the main electrical supply line to Vacherie was knocked out of service.” D.A.R.E., or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is a nationwide program which teaches young people the life skills they need to avoid involvement with drugs, gangs and violence. The essay contest allows participating students to put into words their feelings about the program and what it means to them. The SJPSO has sponsored a D.A.R.E. program since 1992. Congratulations, Christian! stjamessheriff.com Fires rage in sections of the city even though most of New Orleans is flooded. The perfect law enforcement story goes like this: A crime against a person occurs. The victim contacts the sheriff’s office. An investigation occurs, an arrest is made. The perpetrator is convicted and sentenced. Sheriff Martin and SJPSO deputies assist search-and-rescue efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. SJPSO Detective John Dunn is decontaminated with a mixture of water and bleach after a trip into the flood-ravaged area. But in some instances, victims fear that should the criminal ever be released, he will hurt them again. Now, new technology acquired by the SJPSO can help. The Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System (LAVNS), using a national database maintained by Victim Information and Notification Everyday, or VINE, allows a crime victim – at no cost, to keep tabs on a criminal by using a telephone or the Internet. “It’s not enough to apprehend criminals and work with the judicial system to see that they are convicted and punished,” Sheriff Martin said. “This technology strengthens our efforts to ensure that a person who was a crime victim does not become a victim again.” Now available in St. James Parish, the new Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System (LAVNS) allows victims of crime to use a telephone or the Internet to check the status of criminal cases. Available in multiple languages, LAVNS provides timely information on criminal cases and inmates in parish and state prisons on a 24/7 basis. Victims can be notified immediately of an inmate’s release or escape. LAVNS automatically calls the numbers the victim has provided until the victim acknowledges the call. Hurricane Katrina knocked down trees, utility lines and damaged a St. James Parish outdoor warning siren near Zen-Noh Grain. For more information on LAVNS or VINES, please contact the SJPSO at 225-562-2200 or 225-265-2102. By The Numbers Calls For Assistance Bookings Into Parish Jail 1,669 16 16 14 12 12,308 12,132 12 10 10 Hundreds Thousands 1,579 14 12,738 8 6 8 6 4 4 2 2 0 1,551 2002 2003 2004 0 2002 2003 2004 Drug Arrests for 2004 Marijuana – 72 Cocaine – 34 Methamphetamine – 13 Prescription Drugs – 8 LSD – 1 Total 128
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