The mayor of Bogalusa is proposing eliminating his city's police department in favor of allowing the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office provide law enforcement for his city. According to our partners at WWL-TV, Mayor Tyron Truong believes cutting out what he calls a "top-heavy" city agency would save the city money.
However, an attorney says that could create some problems for the city. Leigh Ann Wall, who has done some legal work for the Bogalusa police union, told the city council that if the city dissolves its police department, the city government would have to pay a massive lump some into the officers' retirement funds.
"(The Municipal Police Employee Retirement System) says that at this point in time, were you to dissolve the police department, the city of Bogalusa would immediately owe MPERS over $6 million to fund the retirement of the officers."
Wall also says the city of Bogalusa would hamper its efforts to reduce crime if it dissolved the police department.
"You're hamstringing them already by limiting gasoline for patrol cars and denying them the basic necessities they need to protect the citizens from crime," Wall said.
Major Troy Derouen has been with the Bogalusa Police Department for 28 years. He told the city council that he would welcome their help and the mayor's help to figure out how to fix the police department's budget problem.
"I was informed we are over budget," Derouen told the council. "I would like to know from the administration or anyone who is knowledgeable on the budget: how did we get that way?"
Wall accused the mayor of having an ulterior motive for dissolving the department, but she did not say what that motive is.
"This is not a cost-saving or looking at a financial efficiency. It is a sham designed to generate a document to justify the mayor dissolving the police department."
Truong has called on the city's police chief, Kendall Bullen, to resign after a lawsuit alleged the police department violated residents' civil rights, but Truong has not used his authority as the mayor to fire the appointed chief. We called Mayor Truong for comment. We're awaiting a call back.
The council ultimately tabled the issue until its January meeting.