Photograph: Opelousas police chief Graig LeBlanc requests restored funding during a Parish Council meeting. (Photograph by Freddie Herpin)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
St. Landry parish government has agreed to provide Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc with an additional $100,000 in annual renewed funding that LeBlanc indicates will be used for departmental purchases.
LeBlanc received no opposition last week to his Parish Council request for restoring previously Evangeline Downs racino revenues that were discontinued when the city jail closed five years ago.
OPD was granted a portion of the annual racino money since the department responds to assistance calls at the facility.
The renewed funding LeBlanc told Council members, will be used to acquire a variety of departmental resources that could include cameras and technology.
LeBlanc originally asked the Council several months ago to use the funding for new patrol vehicles. However last week LeBlanc said he has decided to use the money for other potential purchases that he thinks might be necessary to upgrade equipment that OPD currently uses.
Parish president Jessie Bellard said on Thursday that the share of proceeds OPD receives annually from the racino proceeds will be set aside in the general fund budget.
“The money will be there for (LeBlanc) to buy what he needs for the police department. (LeBlanc) has indicated to the Council that he prefers to keep the money into the general fund from parish government,” Bellard added.
Bellard said OPD temporarily lost its slice of annual racino revenues when Opelousas city officials decided with the consent of former Police Chief Donald Thompson, that it was necessary to close the city jail due to deteriorating conditions at the facility.
That situation was compounded by the onset of COVID-19, city officials agreed at the time.
Meanwhile the closure of the city jail required the parish to spend more money for city prisoners that were being moved into the parish jail.
Bellard said that the number of prisoners that might have been incarcerated at the municipal facility and housed at the parish jail has decreased over the past several years.
“There really have been no more costs associated with the city inmates, so I think (the parish) should be able to put the money back into the general fund in order that the chief can buy the type of products that he wants for the department,” Bellard said.
Bellard said that according to the financial arrangement approved by the Council, LeBlanc will determine what items he wants to purchase for the department and the parish will provide the revenues from the parish operating budget.
