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The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office motto is "Serving the community with courtesy, professionalism, and respect." This section is for letters received from citizens who have been assisted by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office and have taken the time to send in a note of thanks.

If you would like to contribute information for this section, please send your comments or letters using our online submission form.

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November 10, 2003

“ This week your office was asked to handle a coroners protective order regarding a member of our family whose exact location was not known. Thursday morning (less than 12 hrs from initializing the order), three of your deputies were successful in executing this assignment. We wish to thank you for the dept's assistance and particularly commend deputies Mark Brasseaux, Mike Thomas and Dale Thomas. As I am sure you are aware, situations such as these are very difficult and emotional for families, and we certainly appreciate these gentlemen. Not only did they handle this incident with a high level of professionalism, they also projected calmness, compassion and encouragement. Please pass on our thanks to Mark, Mike & Dale. Perhaps thru their actions there can be a new beginning. Thanks Again, ”
-- Mr R Pratt, Lafayette, LA

November 2, 2003

“ Dear Sheriff Neustrom: Thank you for your recent sponsorship of tickets for the Grief Center's fundraiser "Les Petit Oscars." The tickets that you purchased were distributed to a number of local children's organizations and groups. ”
-- Ida Nezey, Lafayette, LA

October 21, 2003

“ Sheriff Neustrom; I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing your officers to come to Crowley to assist my Department with security at the 67th International Rice Festival. We estimate the crowds of people attending this year's Festival to be in excess of 150,000 people. With that many people attending, you can easily understand how security could have been a nightmare. With your officer's assistance in providing security for this year's Festival, we feel it made this Festival a huge success.... Once again I'd like to thank you for your assistance and should you or your Department need any assistance please feel free to contact me. ”
-- Chief K.P. Gibson, Crowley, LA

October 15, 2003

“ Dear Sheriff Neustrom, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate your agency on your successful CALEA hearing at the Detroit Conference this summer. Your commitment and hard work are recognized and applauded. The CALEA process has been extremely rewarding for the Knoxville Police Department. The benefits of accreditation and recognition are unending, as you are well aware. The agency's professional image is enhanced along with employee morale. I think you should be proud of your accomplishment, and congratulations on a job well done. If I can ever be of any assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me or any of my staff. Sincerely, ”
-- Chief Phil E. Keith, Knoxville PD, Knoxville, Tennessee

October 13, 2003

“ I wanted to write a letter about a recent complaint I filed which was resolved......I called the Sheriff's Office to file a complaint and Deputy B. Lattimore was sent to my home to investigate, etc......He was throughout the entire investigation, extremely professional and courteous. I'm sure he had better and more important crimes to pursue, but he was very patient and worked everything out for me. I hope he is recognized in some way for his professionalism and kindness. Thank you for your time. ”
-- K. Taylor, Lafayette, LA

October 3, 2003

“ Sheriff Neustrom, Just a note of thanks for your support last night at the Vigil. It is an inspiration to see you every year join us at our annual vigil. Thank you for all of your support through the years. ”
-- Michelle Izzo & Faith House Staff,

September 3, 2003

“ I would like to express my appreciation for the assistance Lt. Tony Ashy, Sgt. Kirk Colarelli and Sgt. Jack Bourgeois provided on the scene of a homicide that occurred at the KOA Campground in Scott on August 25, 2003. The scene of such a crime is often charged with high emotion, especially since relatives of the deceased were present. The officers investigating the incident may have had a much more difficult situation without the support of these deputies. I'm proud our two agencies continue to work together as one and wish to commend each of these men for their cooperation. If my officers or I may be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to advise. Sincerely, Chief Chad Leger ”
-- Chief Chad Leger, Scott PD, Scott, LA

August 21, 2003

“ Dear Sheriff Neustrom: It is my pleasure, on behalf of the people of Louisiana, to congratulate you on your recent accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Your service and dedication to the law enforcement profession is clear and you are to be commended for all the hard work it takes to earn this nationally recognized accreditation. I challenge you to continue the high standards of excellence already established by your administration and the men and women on your staff in the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office. Again, congratulations and keep up the great work. Sincerely, M.J. Foster ”
-- Governor Mike Foster, Baton Rouge,

August 12, 2003

“ I am writing this letter about Deputy Laura Metcalf. I called the Lafayette SO to file a report....Deputy Metcalf made everything right, she eased tension arising from the situation....the tension of the situation was somewhat alleviated by Deputy Metcalf's professional attitude and obvious training....You have a fine Deputy and I thank Deputy Metcalf for the courteous consideration and professionalism shown to me. ”
-- B Foco,

March 5, 2003

“ Dear Mike, I am sending you this letter thanking you for allowing parish inmates to clean up/pick up litter on our streets in the Town of Youngsville, following the Mardi Gras Parade and activities on Saturday, March 1, 2003. The clean up was very orderly and well organized. I commend your Department and personnel for that. I think that this program of yours which allows inmates to do work in small communities is needed and is very worthwhile. Once again, I thank you for assisting our town in the clean up efforts. Sincerely, Wilson B. Viator, Jr., Mayor Town of Youngsville ”
-- Mayor Viator, Town of Youngsville,

February 6, 2003

“ Sheriff Neustrom, My daughter and I just recently completed the "Civilian Fireams Safety" course and I'd like to commend the training team for "a job well done." Deputy Mike Ratcliff, Doug Daly and Tommy Bourque did an excellent job! Recently I have had the unpleasant experience of having several items stolen from my home and after much thought, decided that we needed to explore our options. After the third theft, reluctantly I contacted your department to inquire about courses offered in self defense and weapons handling. Fearful from the word go, I had never held a hand gun much less fired one. Mike assured me that I "wouldn't be afraid" when I completed the course and he was right. Setting aside the fear factor, we did suprisingly well. We don't claim to be an "Annie Oakley" but now with basic education, we can now hit a target. Lafayette is our home town and has always been a great place to live but sadly it too shares in the crimes and violence the rest of our country experiences. With there being no "perfect" place to live, we (women) do need to learn how to protect ourselves. My daughter, who is 17 years old, and I are also enrolled in the "Streetwise Self Defense" class to be held next month at the training center and am looking forward to attending. Again, thank you on behalf of my daughter and myself, for offering these classes to help educate our community. Please extend our sincere appreciation to your training team. Keep up the good work! ”
-- Ms C Prejean, Lafayette, LA,

February 1, 2003

“ You are to be commended for the free community outreach program that is teaching self defense to women in our community. Recently, Lt Craig Stansbury came to Fatima and taught his class to the school & parish employees. Please know that he did a great job! He was professional, compassionate, informative and even funny at times. He did a great job of representing LPSO! We are all truly appreciative of your efforts to apprehend the suspect while also teaching people how to avoid becoming victims! My prayers and thoughts are with you as you face this challenge. We are all praying that you meet with success much sooner than later! Thanks again for serving our community in such a professional and dedicated manner! ”
-- Karmen Blanco,

January 10, 2003

“ Dear Mike, Our Board joins me in expressing our appreciation to you and the Sheriff's Office for the important role that you played in our 16th Annual TV-10/Foodnet "Food for Families" food drive. I can't say enough to express fully the important role that the Inmate Workers play in our annual food drive. The time that they volunteer their services at the food bank plays a major role in our success. When I founded Foodnet, the Board agreed on the following Mission Statement: Our commitment is to eliminate hunger, and involve the community in the process. We feel that we are accomplishing that goal. Much of our success can be attributed to community minded people like yourself. I cannot even imagine how we would succeed in handling the large amount of food that we collect. We collected 56 tons of food at the Cajundome, and it continued to arrive, the total increased to 72.5 tons. We also collected $34,000 that will be used to purchase perishable food. Appreciatively, Marcelle F. Citron Founder/Chairman Foodnet ”
-- Marcelle F. Citron, Foodnet,