The head of Louisiana State Police will be leaving his post at the start of the New Year.
In an email sent to state troopers and obtained by our partners at NOLA.com, Col. Lamar Davis said he will retire on January 8, the same day Governor-elect Jeff Landry will be sworn into office. Davis will leave Louisiana State Police after overseeing the agency in the wake of lawsuits and scrutiny resulting from the death of Ronald Greene at the hands of state troopers and other beatings of Black drivers committed by troopers.
In his email to troopers, Davis called his time leading Louisiana State Police a “profound honor.”
“Over the past three years, we have experienced all four seasons,” Davis wrote. “We started seeing our agency experience one of the most tumultuous times in recent history. This resulted in extreme criticism, distrust by those we swore to serve and protect, morale issues, and multiple investigations of our agency. Most agencies would have folded under those circumstances, given up, or retreated back to their old ways. We looked in the mirror and began to immediately make changes that will carry our agency into the future. Although many of the changes made were significant, the best part of going through these challenging times is that we accomplished this together. There is no more gratifying feeling than to work as a team to solve a problem, especially when that issue affects us all.”
A spokesperson for Governor John Bel Edwards said Edwards was not immediately available for comment. A spokesperson for Governor-elect Landry declined comment.
