What to expect in law enforcement in 2011
What's happened: The Monroe chief's position has been in flux since February, when then-chief Ron Schleuter was placed on administrative leave with pay in connection with allegations he secretly recorded conversations and meetings he had with city officials, including Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo.Eventually, Schleuter retired from the department as police chief with full benefits. Mayo said since Schleuter retired, the charges against him were dropped and the effort to appoint a new chief began.
Assistant Chief Herbert Otwell has been serving as interim chief since Schleuter's departure.
What's ahead: The position of Monroe police chief was opened to applications, which were reviewed buy the Monroe Civil Service Board. The nine approved applicants will take the chief's exam on Thursday, and a new chief is likely to be named sometime in the spring.
Mayo has expressed a desire for the new chief take steps for the department to gain national accreditation.
Work release center
What's happened: In late July, Ouachita Parish Sheriff Royce Toney announced it plans to convert the old Ridgedale Academy in northwestern Ouachita Parish into a work release center, housing nonviolent inmates. Toney also announced the facility would also house the department's patrol division.
Surprised residents of the area were not pleased and voiced their reservations.
What's ahead: Chief Deputy Jay Russell said the department was in the process of drawing up plans for the facility but said no timetable was in place for its completion.
"We want to wait until after the first of the year," Russell said. "Right now, we're trying to complete a material list and then open up for bids."
Russell said officials will need to find out how much moving the patrol division to the area would cost the department before plans can move forward.
"We'll have to make a determination, see if its cost effective," Russell said.
3. Toney's troubles
What's happened: Ouachita Parish Sheriff Royce Toney has faced accusations that he has skirted state bid law on several occasions by using inmate labor. He also has faced questions about using public facilities and equipment in entertaining donors to his campaign fund.
More recently, Toney was named the other man in a petition for divorce filed in early December in 4th Judicial District Court outlining the cause of the separation as an adulterous relationship that ended a four-year marriage. The suit alleged some of the encounters occurred during working hours and at public locations "as well as locations paid for by the citizens of Ouachita Parish."
What's ahead: Toney has since denied the allegations in the divorce petition, but the issue is pending a hearing. Toney won't be required to testify. He argues that using inmate labor saves taxpayers money and suggests that revisions in the bid law be addressed by the Legislature. Toney's term expires in 2012 and is mum about his campaign plans.
