LouisianaVoice has learned of new developments in the ongoing saga of the State Police Internal Affairs investigation at Troop D.
We first learned that Troop D Commander Capt. Chris Guillory has filed an appeal of an undetermined disciplinary action for unknown actions. We now know what that discipline was as well as what the alleged infraction was, and it substantiates what we wrote about back in August.
It was also brought to our attention that certain retired state troopers are no longer welcome at meetings of affiliate members of the Louisiana State Troopers Association (LSTA), especially those retirees who might question the wisdom of the LSTA’s making campaign contributions to political candidates.
Pursuant to a public records request made to the State Police Commission which hears all disciplinary appeals by state troopers, we learned that Guillory has retained Baton Rouge attorney Jill Craft to handle his appeal. That appeal is scheduled to be heard on Feb. 11. (Belated editor’s note: our public records request to the State Police Commission was for appeal records for Chris Ivey, Ryan Roberts, Ronald Picou and Brett McCloud. Our records on the Chris Guillory appeal were obtained through separate but confidential sources.)
The letter of reprimand was signed by Lt. Col. Charles Dupuy who serves as Assistant Superintendent of State Police under Superintendent Mike Edmonson.
Here is Dupuy’s letter (click on images to enlarge):
In his letter, Dupuy referred to allegations first addressed by LouisianaVoice that Trooper Jimmy Rogers was allowed to work LACE overtime and off-duty escort details—all “while serving a disciplinary action in the form of a reduction in pay which spanned from December 27, 2010, to February 5, 2012.”
LACE, which stands for Local Area Compensated Enforcement Program, is a program by which state troopers are paid by local jurisdictions for extra traffic enforcement (read: quotas).
Rogers was disciplined by letter of Nov. 19, 2010, by Edmonson to a 240-hour reduction in pay (a 10 percent reduction for 30 pay periods, or 60 weeks. That represented a total penalty of more than $4,800 but LouisianaVoice said in August that there was speculation that he more than made up for that reduction by being allowed to work overtime on LACE and off-duty escorts of oversized loads.
“A review of his (Rogers’s) biweekly timesheets confirmed that Trooper Rogers worked LACE overtime and off-duty escorts/details while serving the reduction in pay,” Dupuy said in his letter of November 13. “An Internal Affairs investigation was conducted to determine why he was allowed to work overtime.
“On September 22, 2010, you were promoted to the rank of captain to serve as commander of Troop D. As the Captain of Troop D, on November 29, 2010, you personally delivered the above described disciplinary letter to Trooper Jimmy Rogers and had knowledge of the reduction in pay imposed on him,” Dupuy wrote.
Dupuy said that from January 6, 2011, to August 9, 2011, “Trooper Rogers worked 16 LACE overtime details in violation of (policy) in effect at that time. From January 16, 2012, to January 26, 2012, Trooper Rogers worked four off-duty escorts.”
Guillory told Internal Affairs investigators he was unaware of the policy, according to Dupuy’s letter, and that he failed to inform Rogers’s immediate supervisor that Rogers was serving a disciplinary action.
That, said Dupuy, placed Guillory in violation of the State Police Procedure Order which constituted unsatisfactory performance, which says in part:
- A commissioned officer shall maintain a competency level sufficient to properly perform his duties and assume the responsibilities of his position.
Craft, in her Nov. 24 letter, put the State Police Commission on notice of appeal. Here is her letter:
She said in that letter that Guillory’s reprimand “is not warranted,” based not on his violation of procedures, but on a couple of technicalities.
She said that during the time period in question, LSP issued several paychecks to Rogers. “At no time did LSP take any timely action regarding its payment to Trooper Rogers of the overtime pay. Indeed, not until over 4 years later did the agency acknowledge any error on its part.”
Craft also said LSP did not impose its discipline within the prescribed 60-day time limit from the beginning of its investigation to announcement of the punishment. LSP can request an extension of time, however, and one source said it was believed that such extension was requested in a timely manner.
“The investigation began on August 12, 2015, and…October 20, 2015, was the deadline for the imposition of disciplinary action,” she wrote. Pursuant to state statute, she said, the disciplinary action imposed on November 13 “is untimely and thus null and void as a matter of law.”
In another matter, it would appear the LSTA hierarchy are beginning to circle the wagons in defense of growing criticism from within over the board’s recently revealed campaign contributions. An attempt was made by LSTA incoming President James “Jay” O’Quinn to turn retired state trooper Carl Bennett away from a meeting of LSTA affiliate Troop L on Monday night in Mandeville.
“I was there a whole two minutes when Jay O’Quinn asked me to step outside and informed me the meeting was for dues paying members and I wasn’t a member and had to leave,” Bennett said. “I told him that I was there to find out some information about this back dues business to re-join and that I intended to act as a guest and not participate in the discussion or the meeting. He told me I had to leave anyway. I made it clear to him that I…had to go there (to the meeting) because our retiree representative doesn’t respond to us. Retiree David Brabham then stood up and told the whole bunch of them that if I had to leave, he was leaving, too but (that) they hadn’t heard the last from him.”
Bennett said “It sort of hurts to be ejected from the Troop building that you spent the biggest part of your life in—especially when the ones who didn’t want me there were either not even born or toddlers when I was a trooper there.”
Retired trooper Jerry Patrick said he was an affiliate president for six years “and I never turned a retiree away.”
Louisiana Voice 
The quagmire at State Police grows ever deeper. It’s past time for a change in management. Real leaders with demonstrated personal integrity and professional management skills are desperately needed to restore LSP to its former state of excellence and devotion to public service.
Didn’t I read in a prior article that Chris Guillory told Internal Affairs that he didn’t know he was suppose to notify his supervisor that he was taking prescription pain killers even after being told by his commander that he was required to do so. Now he he is claiming again he didn’t know about this other policy. How did he pass the promotion test? How can you expect the people you supervise to know and follow policies and procedures if you can’t or won’t follow them yourself. No wonder there are so many problems at Troop D. That is costing troopers their jobs and possibly their lives.
Guillory’s appealing his “Incompetence” reprimand on a technicality is evidence enough that a reprimand isn’t severe enough punishment. He confirms that he is indeed incompetent to lead and MUST be replaced.
If Colonel Edmonson has any hope of retaining his position as Head of the LSP, he had better get rid of, at a minimum, Chris Guillory and Tommy Lewis. If he thinks the new Governor is going to entertain keeping him in a position of responsibility in State Law Enforcement with this kind of baggage surrounding him, he is delusional.
Way past time to clean house!
Let us entertain this: why did it take so long to investigate this? Only because LouisianaVoice started asking questions. How much more is out there, swept under the Edmonson rug of cover up? Looks like the Tommy Lewis issue would have never surfaced, looks like the Cannon Prostitute scandal would have never surfaced without LouisianaVoice.
I humbly ask the Honorable Troopers of this once Honorable Agency to expose this thug colonel and his chief of staff for what they are! The whole agency started to fall apart with LTC Dale Hall’s retirement.
Lets also not forget the newly surfaced political manipulations of the thug colonel’s and chief of staff’s political endorsement and party fund known as the LSTA.
Again, Governor Elect, show us that West Point Honor Code!
[…] Source: Troop D Commander Chris Guillory files appeal of reprimand letter; LSTA President O’Quinn asks… […]
Reblogged this on tmabaker and commented:
This single quote is both impactful and shameful to the LSTA. Where does association’s loyalty belong?
Bennett said “It sort of hurts to be ejected from the Troop building that you spent the biggest part of your life in—especially when the ones who didn’t want me there were either not even born or toddlers when I was a trooper there.”
In the public’s interest, it is time for a regime change. Mike Edmonson has skeletons in his closet, and Kevin Devall and numerous other troopers know it.
How many can remember a PSA for Anti-DWI campaign, “American Pie” with the Trooper walking thru a crash scene of damaged vehicles, a whiskey bottle and beer cans throughout the scene. All while the music filled the background. The video took a major award.
Then there was the visit of Pope John Paul II to New Orleans in September 1987. Anyone remember the LSP Overtime – Overcharge articles ran in “The Advocate” but are not available online.
When Mike Edmonson was a Trooper First Class his up chain Lieutenant was Ronnie Jones. Who knew that years later Ronnie Jones would return in July 2008 to serve as Mike Edmonson’s “Confidential Assistant” until Jindal appointed him as Chairman of the Gaming Control Board in August 2013.
While Kevin Devall has been cleared by I.A. of so many incidents, Most of those for him using poor judgement. Best one was him one morning in the Headquarters Cafeteria having what is best described as a meltdown, hollering, swearing, and embarrassing himself. It was insubordination directed at Col. Edmonson over a promotion. But what happened? He took a few days of leave and apologized for his actions. He was a Lieutenant at that time, but would be promoted to Captain shortly thereafter. Just as Jones and Edmonson had a rapport, when Edmonson was a Captain, his subordinate was….wait for it….Kevin Devall.
Kevin Devall has been the “cleanup hitter” since he was in narcotics, mostly he has knowledge of personnel, and their indiscretions. Kevin created a persona of the “dumb country bumpkin”, when he really had potential to be very good investigator, but was just too busy screaming and running full speed ahead. And like “The Tarnished Badge” said “bully” – Well it’s more intimidation, due to his size and loudness he calls that his alter ego “Big Country.” Oh, and don’t think Kevin is without skeletons too.
As for Kevin Devall’s Washington Parish incident where, “Authorities in Washington Parish declined to pursue criminal charges, citing a lack of corroborating evidence (The Advocate-5/14/13,
http://theadvocate.com/home/5966275-125/no-discipline-for-lsp-captain) I would question the WPSO Chief Deputy Olander Smith, if he has any knowledge of this incident as to why the Sheriff’s Office declined to investigate. Or why WPSO didn’t take an offense report and refer it to the DA’s office and let them send it to LSP Internal Affairs, if there a lack of evidence. It should be noted that the Chief Deputy is a retired State Police Major.
I once believed that Louisiana State Police were above reproach, there was rarely an appearance of impropriety. In life we find things are not only black and white, but are gray. Through honor codes and ethics you learn to avoid the gray, though it’s not illegal or wrong, or even against policy, it just has an appearance of impropriety. Those things will eventually become an embarrassment to you or the organization, (Louisiana State Police), and should be avoided.
After reading about Carl Bennett being asked to leave an LSTA meeting, it makes me wonder why? Jay O’Quinn has the knowledge of LSTA history and all the risk, reprisals, threats of never getting a promotion for pushing this association into being. LSTA just didn’t happen, it was work! Reminder Jay you now represent all not just the Troop L affiliate. Just who do you think gave you all that you have today? Do you need to be reminded you’re standing on the shoulders of those that came before you!
Also remember this as to why we have an independent civil service system…Politicians of the past both at the parish and state level have tried to manipulate Louisiana State Police. So to avoid outside political influence Louisiana State Police had to fight off influence twice for civil service protection for its personnel.
In 1974 under a Constitutional Amendment the people of this state voted approving an “independent civil service system” for the Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Office of State Police, who are graduates of the State Police Training Academy. Thus creating the Louisiana State Police Commission, (LASPC.COM /LASPC.DPS.LOUISIANA.GOV)
We have an image problem at this point, let us clean our own house and let the public see how much integrity we truly have. As for the Governor-Elect’s decision on who will be the next Superintendent of Louisiana State Police, let’s stay out of trying to influence his decision and trust his decision.
Thank you sneakyolman. I trust the Governor-Elect. It will get better but Jindal has destroyed so much and we are all to blame for him. We must rehabilitate the system and never, never give up or give in to Jindalites. and Ronnie Jones, even you can be a recovering Jindalite. ron thompson
Who else out there is disappointed in the reappointment of Edmonson? To all my good government friends who thought Edwards was the real deal we were all wrong.
“What a revoltin’ development this is.” – The Life of Riley.
That news just now left me sooooo disappointed – I have a real sense of betrayal. Going out in the rain now to remove the JBE bumper sticker.
I guess a deal is a deal is a deal.
Hard to beat the politics of the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association. Troopers need to exchange their Blue Uniforms to Brown or Green!!!!!!
Has Edmonson taken Burls place as the most corrupt and least touchable? Our new governor seems unwilling to clean out the powerfully corrupt. Can’t wait to see who’s JBE appointed to DHH.
Edmonson must have some mighty pow’full supporters out there, besides the Sheriffs’ Assn. He’s just not that smart.
And yes, Sneakyolman, I remember the “American Pie” PSA well. Ronnie Jones’ idea, I believe, and his then-new PIO provided the talent. Best work he ever did; it’s been downhill ever since.
I would say the governor is Edmonson biggest supporter. Otherwise he would not have gotten reappointed. Remember JBE comes from a long line of politically connected sheriffs. He’s not a newbie. He owns Edmonson appointment.