For Release: October 2, 2007 Contact: Casey Rayborn Hicks (225) 335-1036
Baton Rouge Firefighters Association Endorses Sid Gautreaux for Sheriff
Firefighters Join Police in Working for Change

The Baton Rouge Firefighters’ Association announced today their endorsement of Sid Gautreaux, candidate for East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff.

Gautreaux said that he feels this endorsement, coupled with the Baton Rouge Union of Police endorsement, signals a strong move by the men and women who work in public safety in East Baton Rouge Parish to support the plan he has put forth for building a modern, professional Sheriff’s Office.

“This is a great boost for our campaign and helps to build on the momentum we have seen in our campaign in the past few weeks,” Gautreaux said. “It is truly an honor that the men and women who work most closely with the Sheriff’s Office in serving and protecting our parish have chosen to support me. Working together, we will make positive change in the level of service we can provide for East Baton Rouge Parish.”

The changes proposed by Gautreaux include greater cooperation and communication among all first responders in East Baton Rouge Parish. Gautreaux’s 10-point Priorities for Progress also calls for local emergency responders to begin training together so they can be more effective in responding to emergency events.

The Firefighters Association endorsement comes on the heels of Gautreaux’s endorsement by the Baton Rouge Union of Police, whose 500 member families announced their support of him following a forum that focused on public safety issues.



 

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 For Release:  October 1, 2007 Contact: Casey Rayborn Hicks (225) 335-1036
Gautreaux Calls Recent Incidents a Clear Indication
That Change is Needed in Sheriff’s Office
 

Sid Gautreaux, candidate for Sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish, said incidents in the past 30 days in the Sheriff’s Office are a clear indication that outdated-management practices have created an unsafe environment for law enforcement as well as citizens.

“The most recent incident in which the Sheriff’s Office left the home of an armed man whose family had received an Order of Protective Custody without taking him into custody, not only endangered the life of the family but also the Baton Rouge City Police Officer who later responded to the man’s attack on his mother, and the man himself,” Gautreaux said. “We are very fortunate there was not a casualty in that volatile situation.”

“If we had a Sheriff’s Office that communicated with City Police, we wouldn’t have officers walking into a situation like this,” Gautreaux said.

Gautreaux added that in the past 30 days, incidents within the Sheriff’s Office continue to confirm the need for change. From an inmate’s beating death at the Parish Prison to a deputy disciplined for firing a gun near Our Lady of the Lake Hospital to this latest incident of leaving a home where a family had requested help, Gautreaux says the management of the Sheriff’s Office is woefully in need of change.

“Three incidents in 30 days where a life was lost and others were jeopardized unnecessarily -- that’s completely unacceptable,” Gautreaux said.

“Our 10-point Priorities for Progress clearly identify areas for improvement that would address problems such as this,” Gautreaux said. “Better communication with City Police, available in real time, will be a top priority. Adequate staffing at the parish prison will also prevent us from putting our deputies in unsafe situations,” Gautreaux said.

“The Sheriff’s Office is too important to East Baton Rouge Parish to not have it run as a first-rate, modern, professional operation,” Gautreaux said. “We’re ready to hit the ground running to make sure that happens. The future of East Baton Rouge Parish depends on it.”

 

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 For Release: September 13, 2007 Contact: Casey Rayborn Hicks (225) 335-1036
Baton Rouge Union of Police Endorses Sid Gautreaux for Sheriff

The Baton Rouge Union of Police endorsed Sid Gautreaux, candidate for East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff, in an official statement today. The decision was made following last night’s candidate forum hosted by the Police Union and WAFB-TV.

“I am very humbled by their endorsement,” Gautreaux said. “They know me, they know my record in law enforcement and I’m honored they believe I am the best man for the job.”

In addition to knowing his law enforcement record, Gautreaux said, the union recognizes that change is needed in the Sheriff’s Office.

“This endorsement tells me that the men and women that are on the front line of law enforcement know there needs to be change in the way the Sheriff’s Office does things,” he said.

The changes proposed by Gautreaux include greater cooperation and communication among law enforcement departments. He said he will implement a communication program that will allow true interoperability, which will enable the Sheriff’s Office and local police departments to communicate freely by radio in the event of urgent actions or emergencies.

“Communication and cooperation will not only benefit law enforcement officers,” Gautreaux said. “It will benefit the entire East Baton Rouge Parish community by making our businesses and neighborhoods safer.”

Formed in 1984, the Baton Rouge Union of Police has grown to almost 500 members. According to the website, the union is committed to “the highest standards of professionalism and devotion to duty” and to improving “the quality of life for every officer and their families.”

 

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 For Release:  September  5, 2007 Contact: Casey Rayborn Hicks (225) 335-1036
Gautreaux: Parish Prison Operating at Unsafe Staffing Levels

Sid Gautreaux, candidate for East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff, said today that staffing levels at the East Baton Rouge Parish prison are dangerously low, putting deputies and prisoners at risk.

“Our staffing levels are far below national standards,” Gautreaux said. Today we are requiring fewer deputies to guard more and more inmates to the point that the situation has become unsafe for both deputies and prisoners. Our prison population has remained around 1600 and at on any given shift, we only have about 34 or 35 deputies on duty. That’s unacceptable.”

A prisoner died Friday night after being beaten by two inmates in the second of two fights at the prison. “It is my understanding that, at the time of the fights, the staffing levels were down to two line deputies guarding more than 300 inmates in the wing of the prison where the fights occurred,” Gautreaux said. “The staffing levels have become unsafe for deputies and prisoners.”

According to Gautreaux, understaffing could make East Baton Rouge Parish taxpayers liable for the actions that occur at the prison.

Gautreaux said the prison problems have been ignored, and as Sheriff, he would work with the city-parish administration to find new financing models for upgrading the prison or building a new one. “The problems won’t go away just because we ignore them,” Gautreaux said. “Our parish is growing and we have to keep up with the times. It’s obvious that the Sheriff’s Office needs a complete assessment of its resources and staffing so that we can immediately begin addressing some of these urgent problems.”

Gautreaux also said the Sheriff’s Office should be using more cameras and other technology at the prison to protect deputies and prisoners. “Technology allows us to be more efficient with our personnel,” Gautreaux said. “But when you have neither, it creates a very dangerous environment.”

 

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 For Release: September 4, 2007 Contact: Casey Rayborn Hicks (225) 335-1036
Sid Gautreaux Qualifies for East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff

10-Point “Priorities for Progress” Focuses on Communications & Uniform Patrol

Sid Gautreaux qualified for East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff this morning; releasing a 10-point “Priorities for Progress” plan to build a modern, efficient Sheriff’s Office to serve our growing parish.

“The choice for Sheriff is clear,” Gautreaux said. “I will lead a Sheriff’s Office that is focused on reducing crime in our parish – making our neighborhoods and businesses safer,” Gautreaux said. “The current Sheriff’s Office is being managed as a bloated bureaucracy that needs to be overhauled from top to bottom so we can put our resources to work making East Baton Rouge Parish safe.”

Gautreaux’s “Priorities for Progress” include providing a communications program that will allow true interoperability, so the Sheriff’s Office and local police departments can communicate freely by radio in the event of urgent actions or emergencies.

“We will refocus the Sheriff’s Office on uniform patrol – the backbone of any successful law enforcement agency,” Gautreaux said. “Too many special teams that overlap responsibilities with other agencies have resulted in taking much needed resources away from uniform patrol. By overhauling the Sheriff’s Office, we will fully staff our sub-stations and begin providing the technology they need to do their jobs.”

Gautreaux said the funds needed for immediate action can be realized by eliminating inefficiencies, without raising taxes.

Saying he will reinstitute the Metro Squad, a highly successful combined force that Greg Phares discontinued when he was Baton Rouge Police Chief, Gautreaux said the new Metro Squad will invite participation from the Baton Rouge, Baker and Zachary police departments. “So many of our problems can be solved through greater cooperation with other local law enforcement agencies,” Gautreaux said.

Gautreaux’s “Priorities for Progress” also include greater emphasis on domestic violence training for deputies in light of the increase in murders as a result of family violence; a focus on
-more-
juvenile justice and protecting youth from computer crimes; and improvements to sub-stations and management practices on the civil side of the Sheriff’s Office responsibilities.

The parish prison, which is antiquated and too small for current needs, will be the focus of cooperative efforts between the Sheriff’s Office and the city-parish administration to explore federal grants, new financing models and public-private partnerships. “We can’t keep operating as if we are living in 1950,” Gautreaux said. “It’s imperative that the Sheriff’s Office keep up with the demands and needs of our growing parish.”

Gautreaux also promised to make economic development a priority in the Sheriff’s Office, not only in terms of making the parish safer to attract new businesses, but also in being an active recruiter and forming regional partnerships with surrounding parishes.

“For East Baton Rouge Parish to be safe and productive, we will cooperate, coordinate and communicate – not only with other local law enforcement entities, but also with our counterparts in surrounding parishes,” Gautreaux said.

“These are exciting times for our parish and I look forward to the challenge of building a Sheriff’s Office that is more responsive to our parish,” Gautreaux said.

 

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 For Release: August 16, 2007 Contact: Casey Rayborn Hicks (225) 335-1036
Gautreaux: Sheriff’s Office Has Become a Bloated Bureaucracy
Complete Overhaul Will Put Priority Back on Uniform Patrol

Sid Gautreaux, candidate for East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff, said today a complete overhaul of the Sheriff’s office is needed to streamline what has become a bloated bureaucracy and put emphasis back on uniform patrol.
“The current Sheriff’s Office includes 855 employees, of which only 126 are in uniform patrol,” Gautreaux said. “That is totally unacceptable.”

At a candidate forum held by the League of Women Voters, Gautreaux pointed out he began his career in the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, working in the prison and in uniform patrol before serving as Police Chief of Baker.
“One of the first things I’ll do as Sheriff is put the priorities back on uniform patrol and give them the tools they need to keep East Baton Rouge Parish safe,” he said.

Gautreaux pointed out that the Sheriff’s Office has an anti-terrorist boat that cost over a quarter million dollars, burns 28 gallons of fuel an hour, and takes too many deputies off the streets to crew it.
“The real concern we have is not a possible terrorist attack on the river,” Gautreaux said, “but the terrorism that is occurring every day in our neighborhoods. That’s where our priorities should be.”

He called for greater communication and cooperation with law enforcement agencies throughout East Baton Rouge Parish and surrounding parishes to share information and coordinate resources for greater efficiency.
“Our parish has changed,” Gautreaux said. “We’re faced with tremendous challenges from the unprecedented growth we’ve had. Our next Sheriff has to step forward, be innovative, think outside the box and pro-actively address the problems we have.”

Gautreaux’s campaign platform centers on improving Communication, Cooperation and Coordination among all law enforcement agencies to provide East Baton Rouge Parish a modern, efficient method of keeping its citizens safe.

 

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