St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office (STPSO) is the chief law enforcement agency of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. It falls under the authority of the Sheriff, an elected official who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish.[1]
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office | |
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Abbreviation | STPSO |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1812 |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | St. Tammany, Louisiana, US |
Map of St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction. | |
Size | 1,124 square miles (2,910 km2) |
Population | 233,740 |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Covington, Louisiana |
Agency executive |
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Website | |
http://www.stpso.com/ |
The Sheriff
The sheriff of St. Tammany Parish is Randy Smith, Sheriff Smith was sworn in as Sheriff of St. Tammany Parish on July 1, 2016. He has over 28 years of experience in the field of law enforcement. He previously served as chief of police for Slidell, Louisiana.
Employees of the office are amongst the highest-paid in the region.[2]
Facilities
The Sheriff's Office operates the following facilities:
- Headquarters - The headquarters is located within the St. Tammany Parish Justice Center, at 701 North Columbia Street, in Covington.
- St. Tammany Parish Jail - The St. Tammany Parish Jail is located at 1200 Champagne Street in Covington. Opened in 1985, the jail currently houses 872 inmates, and employs 207 people at full operation.[3] The jail is operating under a Memorandum of Agreement with the US Dept of Justice.[4][5]
- Administration Building - Many of the agency's administrative divisions operate out of the complex at 300 Brownswitch Road, Slidell.
- Training Center - The agency's training and education center is located on Pine Street in Pearl River.
Fallen officers
Since the formation of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, four deputies have been killed in the line of duty. The most common cause of line of duty deaths to date is gunfire.[6]
Officer | Date of Death | Details |
---|---|---|
Sergeant Louis Henry Wagner, II | Gunfire | |
Sergeant John William Bonnell, III | Gunfire | |
Deputy First Class Hilery A. Mayo, Jr. | Automobile accident | |
Sergeant Linden "Beau" Raimer | Weather/Natural disaster |
Corruption and Sexual Abuse Allegations
Former Sheriff Jack Strain has been accused and is currently being investigated(2019) by the FBI for alleged bribery[7] and sexual abuse of minors both before[8] and while in office.[9] Strain was arrested on June 11, 2019 for the allegations.[10]
References
- Louisiana Constitution, Article 5
- Chatelin, Kim (14 June 2016). "How much do your police make? See list of 12 agencies". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
- "St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office - Corrections". St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- http://theadvocate.com/news/neworleans/6793057-148/st-tammany-sheriff-justice-department
- http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/documents/tammany_mou_8-15-13.pdf
- Officer Down Memorial Page
- Team, WDSU Digital (2018-11-29). "Former St. Tammany Parish sheriff Jack Strain linked to alleged kickback, bribery scheme, DOJ says". WDSU. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
- "'Sick stuff' - Accuser says ex-sheriff Jack Strain molested him as a child". WWL. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
- "Shock, sadness over allegations against ex-sheriff Jack Strain". WWL. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
- https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/ex-st-tammany-parish-sheriff-jack-strain-arrested-on-rape-incest-charges/289-4306c12d-b3d0-4df3-baf3-61832ab5689f