Sheriff's Message

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Sheriff's Report

Where fiscal year 1994-95 was one of change, fiscal year 1995-96 has been one of challenge brought on by the changes.

In our Operations Bureau, the opening of a sub-station in Oil City in the north and on Stagecoach Road in the south has increased our ability to serve our citizens in the rural areas outside Shreveport. But with this visibility has come new requests for services and programs.

We have formed Citizen Advisory Committees in both areas and our deputies are working with their members to provide the services they request. This increased demand for new services and programs has placed a burden on our patrol shifts and emphasized the need for additional officers and funds to meet the citizen's requests.

An obvious example is the way the Caddo Sheriff's Office is the agency called to respond to calls for help on Red River around the boats, the Port, and the Lock and Dam. At the same time, we are the only law enforcement agency in the area that doesn't share in the revenue from the boats.

Increased demand for services with no increase in funding is causing budget problems.

Our Detention Bureau has responded well to the demands of the new Correctional Center but there, too, our budget is being stretched.

The fact that the Shreveport Police Department and the State Police pay starting salaries of over $20,000 and $23,000 respectively while our funding only allows $17,280 places us at a disadvantage during recruiting efforts.

Another disadvantage we face turns a positive into a negative. We are noted for having an excellent training program. Some persons are taking advantage of that training and then moving on in a year or two to other agencies that have higher starting salaries. High turnover means higher operating costs.

There are some areas at the new parish jail where the demand has far exceeded our projections. For example, we are receiving more than 20,600 telephone calls per month, necessitating the employment of extra receptionists just to handle the calls.

The paperwork and record keeping involved in our jail records division has necessitated the addition of an evening shift. Nurses must work around the clock and if a vacancy occurs, we pay overtime to a nurse from another shift to fill the spot. Revenues and expenses are running neck and neck and we are searching for ways to reduce our cost of operation.

In Administration, we are moving to install a new computer software system for the Accounting and Tax Divisions that should serve us well for the next 20 years. Our current system has been patched and added to so much that it is beginning to fail in its mission -- to provide accurate information and record-keeping on a timely basis. Employees in those departments are undergoing extensive training to learn the new system and should have it on line in a matter of months.

Fiscal year 97 begins a new term for the Sheriff and if the past is any indication of what to expect, the next four years will be exciting ones for all of us. I am well aware that no elected public official enjoys the kind of success in serving in public office that I have without the help and support of his family, friends, and an outstanding staff. I sincerely appreciate the contributions each of you made in helping me in my re-election efforts. I look forward to working with each of you in maintaining the high standards of performance and professionalism that have made us one of the outstanding law enforcement agencies in this part of the country.

As Sheriff, I encourage our employees to work hard to merit the trust the citizens have placed in us. Render the service of your office to our citizens in a courteous and pleasant way. Remember! They pay the taxes that run the Sheriff's Office. That means they sign our paycheck and we work for them.

- Don Hathaway

Caddo Parish Sheriff