Sheriff Mike Neustrom receives the Patriot Award
Sheriff Mike Neustrom receives the Patriot Award from John E. Manion, Brigadier General James B. Cobb and T.K. Armington of the National Guard and Reserve of Louisiana. The award was given in recognition of Sheriff Neustroms' support of his employees that are in the National Guard and Reserve, especially those that have been activated and deployed to protect our country and its interests.
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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 : Contact Us : About the Sheriff
About the Sheriff
|  | The Louisiana Constitution defines the sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer of the Parish. As Sheriff of Lafayette Parish, Mike Neustrom manages an organization that consists of approximately 500 dedicated employees. The Corrections Division operates the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center that houses male and female inmates within a five story, 718-bed main facility and a one story, 96-bed annex. The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office provides complete law enforcement services, patrol, dispatch and criminal investigation for all residents of Lafayette Parish – however in order to not duplicate services provided by other agencies, our primary enforcement areas are the unincorporated areas of the Parish. Our Communications Center provides dispatch communication services for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office and the police departments for the towns of Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott and Youngsville. Sheriff Neustrom also shares leadership responsibilities with the Lafayette Chief of Police for two metropolitan or metro units, Metro Narcotics and Metro Forensics, which combine the resources of the Lafayette City Police Department and the Lafayette Sheriff's Office. The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office provides civil process for the district courts and operates a criminal warrant division that is designed to apprehend wanted felons.
| The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), and the American Correctional Association (ACA) for the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. Sheriff Neustrom grew up in New Iberia where he attended Catholic High School. He has lived in Lafayette Parish since he enrolled at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1965 to pursue academic studies on an athletic scholarship. He graduated from USL in 1970 with a B.S. Degree in Sociology. Sheriff Neustrom served as Director of University Police from 1970 to 1974 before leaving to further his education. He obtained his Masters in Police Science and his Doctorate in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. From 1977 until his election in 2000 he served as a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisiana Lafayette (formerly University of Southwestern Louisiana) and Director of the Acadiana Law Enforcement Training Academy, a regional police training facility, which provides basic law enforcement training to an 8-parish area. He has also served on the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council. He has received executive development training from the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Quantico, Virginia. Sheriff Neustrom has been involved in a number of community activities including serving as the President of the Board of Directors of St. Joseph Diner, President of Acadiana Youth, Inc. as well as coaching numerous youth athletic teams.
He and his wife, Cecilia "Ceci" O'Keefe Neustrom, have been married thirty-six years and live in Lafayette. Their six children attended public and parochial schools. Two have received degrees from the University of Louisiana, one from LSU, and several are currently enrolled at ULL. Back to Top
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