20 Year Service Award Recipient
Congratulations to Sgt Larry Brown for 20 years of dedicated service to LPSO and the Citizens of Lafayette Parish.
Sgt Brown is a supervisor within the LPSO Criminal Divison.
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Shenandoah Neighborhood Watch Appreciates Deputies
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Dear Sheriff Neustrom
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Dear Sheriff Neustrom:
I would like to start off by thanking the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Department for their assistance in the planning and implementation of our Neighborhood Watch program. As you may already be aware, our neighborhood is not within the city limits of any smaller municipality, and is simply part of rural Lafayette Parish. Our neighborhood had increasing problems with thefts and criminal damage to property, and simply used the Lafayette Parish Sheriff s Department as a means of reporting the incidents.
After much frustration, our neighborhood decided it was time to take action and put a stop to our neighborhood problems. Sergeant Tom Stith with the Community Services Unit has been more than helpful and cooperative in assisting with getting the Neighborhood Watch up and running, and keeping it maintained.
Sergeant Stith and Deputy Elisa Foster came to our first Neighborhood Watch meeting armed with flyers, pamphlets, and a well of information which they shared with us. They gave us instruction on personal safety, securing our homes, monitoring the neighborhood and keeping ourselves safe in doing so, and dealing with certain situations that may arise, as well as how to work with the Sheriffs Department in resolving our problems, including a pro-active approach at deterring crime.
Our neighborhood also had a block party several months after starting our program, at which Sergeant Stith, his lovely wife, and Deputy Darrell Doucet attended. Sergeant Stith and Deputy Doucet presented some of our Neighborhood Watch Block Captains with the signs we had ordered and that were delivered to the Sheriff s Department, and made sure to get to know
the neighbors, listen to their concerns, and generally let the neighborhood know that the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Department is backing us in our endeavor.
I also wanted to add that Sergeant Stith and his wife attended the block party on their own personal time and we are very thankful to them for their presence and for Sergeant Stith's respectable work ethic. He is an asset to the Sheriff's Department, Actually, Sergeant Tom Stith, Deputy Darrell Doucet, and Deputy Elisa Foster, are all assets to your Department.
I initially had some doubts about the Neighborhood Watch program and its effectiveness. However, after just a few weeks, our neighborhood was seeing a decrease in criminal and mischievous activity, and after just a few months, the neighborhood is relatively quiet.
When the Shenandoah Neighborhood Watch began, our neighborhood was having approximately 3 to 4 incidents (give or take a few) per week. Our neighborhood now has zero incidents per week with just an occasional problem reported. It appears that with a little pro¬active involvement, we are able to deter problems in our neighborhood.
Again, I thank the Lafayette Parish Sheriff s Department, Sergeant Tom Stith, Deputy Darrell Doucet, and Deputy Elisa Foster, as well as all of the patrolling deputies, in helping to continue to make our neighborhood a safe haven for our families!
With kind regards, I remain
Very truly yours,
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Marguerite Fitzgerald, Shenandoah Neighborhood Watch Coordinator
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Home : Community Relations : News & Recognition : Press Releases
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Press Releases
New Jail Diversion Program
Friday, August 25, 2006
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office (LPSO) and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals are excited to announce a new jail diversion program for non-violent, mentally ill offenders. This collaborative effort teams LPSO and Region IV Office of Mental Health.
The Mental Health Jail Diversion Program is slated to begin in October 2006 and efforts are currently underway to hire staff consisting of one mental health professional and three caseworkers. This program, made by possible by a two-year grant, was originally awarded to New Orleans. Due to Hurricane Katrina implementation of this program is not possible in that area at this time. The $400,000 a year has been made available to Lafayette Parish.
When inmates are incarcerated for more than 30 days, federal law stipulates that social security benefits are suspended. Upon release, these individuals must reapply for benefits which could take up to six months to receive. This lapse in benefits can be detrimental to a mentally ill patient reliant upon such resources to provide shelter and medication. This grant affords Lafayette Parish the opportunity to provide much needed mental health services to a non-violent population of mentally ill offenders after release.
Corrections and mental health professionals have met over the course of several months to identify the best methods of targeting prospective clients through the jail intake process and to collaborate on the implementation of this program. The Jail Diversion Program will be located at the Community Corrections Center on 100 Poydras Street in Lafayette and will assist approximately 25 clients.
Leah Dishong
Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office
337-231-6365 ext. 25
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