Gibson touts upgrades in first year

In the next-to-last stop on his “Coffee with the Sheriff” tour of Acadia Parish, K.P. Gibson spoke with citizens of Rayne Saturday morning (June 24) at Frog City Restaurant.
“We’ve been to Iota, Church Point, the Fifth Ward. All we have left is Crowley — then we start all over again,” Gibson said to open the session.
Noting that this coming Saturday, July 1, will mark his first year as sheriff, Gibson acknowledged that crime rate continues to be the biggest concern he hears from citizens across the parish.
Addressing that concern, Gibson said he has put more patrol officers on the roads and has established the parish Crime Suppression Unit.
“We’ve cut our response time from 48 minutes to between 20 and 25 minutes,” the sheriff said. “And we’re working on improving on that.
“We’re patrolling the roads in Acadia ... we’re hitting the streets. That’s what the people want.”
The parish Crime Suppression Unit has been an effective tool in the war on drugs, according to Gibson.
“There’s not a lot of street-level crime in the rural areas of the parish. I tell the deputies that we’ve got to get out in the parish, but we can’t forget about the cities because that’s where most of the drug activity occurs,” Gibson said.
While he pointed out that deputies have equal authority as municipal law enforcement officers anywhere in Acadia Parish, Gibson said his office always contacts the local authorities when the CSU is operating within a municipality.
Some of the other upgrades within the sheriff’s office in the last year include the purchase of 30 new patrol units, the implementation of body cameras on all deputies, monthly meetings with chiefs of police from across the parish, and combined training for all law enforcement officers across the parish.
During the question-and-answer portion of Saturday morning’s event, Gibson was asked about his support for a proposed split in the 15th Judicial District.
The 15th JDC currently comprises Lafayette, Acadia and Vermilion parishes. A survey has been authorized by the legislature to determine if the district should be divided.
“Lafayette Parish is mostly a metropolitan area. Acadia and Vermilion parishes are mostly rural, farming area,” Gibson explained. “There’s a different mindset as to how the (law enforcement) job gets done in those areas.
“But the biggest question is can each parish stand on its own financially,” Gibson continued. “I think the people of Acadia Parish deserve a district attorney elected by the people of Acadia Parish. When was the last time we had a district attorney from Acadia Parish? I don’t remember.”
The sheriff pointed out that, even if a split were to occur, it would not come right away.
“It’s going to take all of two or three years,” he said. “But with the district attorney (Keith Stutes) supporting it, I think this is the last time, at least in my lifetime, that we’ll se the possibility.
“I’m hoping that we can afford it as a parish. But if that’s not possible, I hope possibly Acadia and Vermilion can get together as a district.”
Gibson closed the meeting by inviting anyone with a concern to call his office or go by and visit with him.
“I have an open-door policy and we preach ‘customer service’ to all our employees,” Gibson said. “You, the public, are our customers. We work for you.”