2005 Annual Report - St James Parish Sheriff`s Office

St. James Parish
Annual
Report
St. James Parish
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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