TO THE PEOPLE OF EVANGELINE PARISH

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT by SHERIFF CHARLES R. GUILLORY 

 There seems to be some confusion about the process of building a new jail and merging the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's office dispatch with 911 dispatch.  I wish to clarify what is going on and keep the people informed with the truth.  First, I was successful in passing a sales tax in April 2021.  This tax WAS NOT a jail tax and no mention of a jail in my public announcement Proposition that was placed in the paper.  This tax is for the Sheriff's Office to improve on operations, more patrolman, more narcotic agents, more investigators and better equipment which I accomplishing and I will continue getting the illegal drugs off our streets and keep our communities safer.  With that said, I am on the jail committee along with other members of the Police Jury.        

STATE LAW mandates that the Police Jury provide a good and sufficient jail not the Sheriff.  My responsibility is the keeper of the jail and watch over pre-trial and parish inmates. As Sheriff, I stated I will get a jail to help the Police Jury at the same time helping the parish which I am willing to pay my fair share in that process.  Being on the jail committee, as Sheriff, I formulated a plan to merge EPSO's dispatch with 911 dispatch in order to use our tax payers revenue more efficiently and more effectively in these hard times. This is only my plan/option to get the jail started.  There are other plans that the police jury has in mind and they can discuss that.

The plan I formulated is this:  All I wish to do is merge 911 dispatch with EPSO's dispatch and put all communications under one roof with the Sheriff in charge causing money to be saved. 911 WILL NOT CLOSE AND ALL 911 FUNCTIONS WILL CONTINUE as before.  The leadership will change to the Sheriff.  The plan is to build the new jail behind the 911 building.  Obviously, any merger will cause people to lose their job but this plan causes the least disruption and lost of jobs.  MY plan DOES NOT and WILL NOT RAISE TAXES, CALL FOR A RE-DEDICATION OF TAXES, AND WILL NOT CLOSE PARISH OFFICES SUCH AS THE LIBRARY, HEALTH UNIT, OR ANY OTHER PARISH OFFICES.

MY PLAN WILL NOT COST THE TAX PAYERS ONE MORE PENNY.  There will be no additional taxes or monies imposed on the citizens of Evangeline Parish with this plan.   The entire plan was outlined in last Sunday's Gazette.  Again, this is only one plan and there are other options which I am not familiar with.  You can ask your Police Juror about other plans or options to build a new jail.  I am and will continue to go forward to get a jail.  I have a piece of property in mind to purchase and move through Capital Outlay with the State of Louisiana.

As Sheriff, I will continue to work hard to protect and serve all the citizens; keeping our communities safe. If you should have any questions, please come by and see me.

Thank You, Sheriff Charles R. Guillory.