To say we were disappointed in John Bel Edwards’s decision to reappoint State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson would be an understatement. What LouisianaVoice has learned—and published—about problems throughout LSP, particularly in Troop D, should be reason enough to turn Edmonson away.
Edwards made two major mistakes in arriving at his decision. First, he listened to the Louisiana Sheriffs Association and Louisiana Police Chiefs Association. Second, he did not listen to the voices of state troopers whose morale has hit rock bottom and who have made their feelings known, albeit anonymously, in the comment sections of our posts. Realistically, they have no voice to compete with the sheriffs and chiefs.
The sheriffs association had its reasons for wanting Edmonson reappointed.
Edmonson, after all, has hired numerous officers whose only qualifications are that they are related in some way to some sheriff or police chief. Together, they are quite powerful and their endorsement, coming as it did when the outcome of the governor’s election was still in question, was an important coup for Edwards. At the time, Edwards’s opponent, U.S. Sen. David Vitter was hammering Edwards with a withering barrage of TV ads claiming that Edwards wanted to turn thousands of dangerous convicts loose on a helpless citizenry. And it’s difficult for a candidate to win a given parish, especially against those kinds of attacks, without the local sheriff’s support.
One would think, however, that Edwards, when first approached by the sheriffs and chiefs would have been more circumspect. It was Edwards, after all who in 2014 called for an investigation of the manner in which that retirement boost for Edmonson of $30,000 to $50,000 (the numbers vary) was sneaked through in the closing hours of the 2014 legislative session. https://louisianavoice.com/2014/07/19/reps-john-bel-edwards-and-kevin-pearson-will-request-investigation-of-edmonson-retirement-amendment-source/
Edmonson, of course, initially denied any hand in the bill amendment offered up by State Sen. Neil Riser. But as events unfolded, it became clear that Edmonson was behind the effort from the beginning.
Unfortunately, in the world of hard ball politics, crucial endorsements have a way of overriding good judgment.
On Oct. 27, three days after the first primary, I sent an e-mail to Edwards in which I asked him his intentions regarding an Edmonson reappointment. He wrote back that he had no intentions either way and I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Here is that e-mail exchange:
On Oct 27, 2015, at 10:57 AM, Tom Aswell wrote:
Please tell me your intentions as to the re-appointment of Mike Edmonson.
Tom Aswell
LouisianaVoice
From: John Bel Edwards Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 12:50 PM To: Tom Aswell Subject: Re: QUESTION
I don’t intend one way or the other
We won’t go so far as to say Edwards misled us, but we do know how backroom political tradeoffs are made and even back then we were hearing that the deal had already been cut.
We will leave this with a word of advice for Edwards that he may or may not chose to take to heart: You would be very wise to keep Edmonson on a short leash. Take any complaints you may hear about him seriously even though no state trooper in his right mind would dare come forward with a public beef for genuine fear of reprisals.
Short leash, Governor.
Louisiana Voice 
[…] the various ethical problems plaguing the State Police under Edmonson’s misrule. (He filed this new report on Edmonson on […]
PLEASE let this be the only mistake John Bel Edwards makes! Let’s hope he decides to change his mind and put someone worthy in charge of LSP! I still have hope!
Must read.
“Unfortunately, in the world of hard ball politics, crucial endorsements have a way of overriding good judgment.”
The heart of the matter.
Praying we have not been sold down the river…again.
I think we are all joining you in that prayer earthmother.
Thank you Tom Aswell for exposing this because the sold out mainstream media evidently doesn’t care about printing the truth. As a retired state trooper I personally talked to John Bel Edwards about the issues facing LSP and the need to appoint a decent qualified leader. His response to me was that the chief’s and the sheriffs wanted Edmonson to stay and that his father and brother were sheriffs and he felt obligated to appease them. In other words, the needs of LSP itself and the citizens of Louisiana were not part of the equation. Good government this is not. It is typical backroom deal making. I have the utmost respect for Sgt. Savoy for attempting to do what was right and for attempting to be a good supervisor. I am disgusted that his leadership let him down. I will always feel for Trooper Vincent’s family and will always wonder if the lack of concern and leadership at the command level of LSP contributed to his death. Maybe not, but I will always wonder. The LSP is now owned by the Louisiana Sheriff’s Assn. and evidently so is John Bel Edwards. So much for the highly touted West Point honor code.
At least it sounds like JBE honestly answered your question. He made a deal and he is fulfilling his part of it.
This will not be the only mistake Edwards makes. He showed his lack of judgment on the purple party bus. The legacy of corruption laid down by his predecessors continues. I thought JBE was just wrong on his policies. I now officially believe he is a politician.
Edwards has made a huge mistake, and one he will rue. Edmonson must go. Salvation is not to be found in humans, no matter how promising or wishful. I wish I could write that this will be Edwards only faux pas, but it won’t be. Sadly.
JBE can fix this. He just has to do it. Feeling depressed & disappointed. Louisiana loses again.
JBE’s decision to retain Edmonson is a disappointment. It does appear to be politics-as-usual. I’m still holding out hope that Edwards will be better than Gov. Swindle. Yes, that’s an awfully low bar. I suppose we’ll all get a better of Edward’s priorities when the mid-year budget shortfall is addressed. That should be telling.
“that’s an awfully low bar” – understatement of the year.
It is obvious Trooper Vincent was not given the training he needed to safely perform his job, in spite of the extreme measures Sgt. Savoy went to! My comment is not intended to be a poor reflection on Trooper Vincent. He was obviously a caring, devoted family man and state trooper. I am beyond angry at those supervisors who were warned, but chose to do nothing about it. In reality, they contributed to the death of Trooper Vincent! If a similar scenario had played out in an oil refinery, then every supervisor who had been warned ahead of time that the deceased employee had needed more safety training would be held liable and the oil refinery would be writing a blank check to the family due to their gross negligence. And even if the letter from Sgt Savoy was really “lost,” then that is just one more serious problem we have with Louisiana State Police Headquarters. How many other ignored documents have been misplaced that could lead to the deaths of current state troopers?
No jwpatrick1, the failure is on the head of Sergeant Savoy and the La Voice. They did nothing but soil the reputation of Steven Vincent as collateral damage in an attempt to attack Colonel Edmondson. I know from personal experience working shift with Steven for over two years prior to his attendance at the LSP academy that he was extremely safety conscience and I never observed an usage act on his part nor was ever concerned about my safety handling high risk situations with him. If he was that proficient before the LSP academy he would be even more proficient after. Could it just be that Sergeant Savoy had a personal issue with Steven and used his letter to Guillory as a personal attack or sent the letter to Baton Rouge for the same reason? Could it be that both Guillory and Baton Rouge reviewed the information and deemed it to not have merit? If anyone wants to question or attack Edmondson, he is alive and can defend himself but no one has the right to destroy Steven’s reputation as a good officer when he can’t defend himself.
You wrote…”Could it be that both Guillory and Baton Rouge reviewed the information and deemed it to not have merit”. I don’t know since they don’t have the letter or any follow up to show it was considered and dismissed. As far as Stevens abilities… there is no doubting that, his record seems to be exemplary and he was well respected. However, reviews not only of actions but of systems and training are not for Steven, they are to ensure that other officers are well trained and have every chance to survive. I too have been in high risk situations, but after incident debriefings and reviews offer an opportunity to learn and improve. State Police FTO and Supervisors share a great responsibility. We all have “tendencies” and honest feedback from third parties is invaluable to the complete training regimen. I believe if you review my comments I note it is impossible to say that the lapse in addressing Sgt. Savoy ‘ s expressed concerns contributed in any way to Trooper Vincent’s death. There are times in law enforcement when no matter how good we perform or careful we are bad things will happen. That however should never be an excuse to not fully address concerns. The one thing management owes all officers is to ensure they have every opportunity to succeed and survive. Otherwise, we do a disservice to the courageous men and women in law enforcement who daily go out to protect society.
It’s still early and I am still confident that this to can be corrected. Just wait, Edmundson will dig his own grave again.
Reblogged this on tmabaker.
[…] Source: LSP ‘unable’ to locate sergeant’s critical letter warning of danger; Edmonson is r… […]
If you do the same thing over and over again…..YOU get the same result..very disappointed. Maybe Warden Cain took the “fall” for everyone!( Secretary Jimmy Leblanc, Cain brothers, Mr.Edmondson etc just my opinion)
It is hard to believe that Edmondson has been reappointed for another term. I guess that means Chris Guillory will be promoted and put in charge of the narcotics section. How can you push to stay in a job where your own employees have lost all trust and confidence in your ability to lead them? Does he think that much of himself that he forgot that he preaches “selfless service” as part of the qualities each trooper should posses except him? In his case I guess it is “selfish service” to want to become the first colonel in the history of the Louisiana State Police to serve more than two terms? Is our governor blind and deaf? Does he not hear the cries of his people.
I have heard several troopers remark that they are more afraid of some of their supervisors and the current administration than stopping vehicles on the side of the road where they know it could dangerous. How sad is that, fighting a war from two sides.
Dear Tom,
Please make a second inquiry for this letter. Blanket the LSP with Public Document Request, beginning with the Colonel’s Office, Lt.Col. of Support, Major over Support/Training, Commandant of the Training Academy. If this letter was received by anyone as incoming correspondence it would have been copied and sent forward to several personnel. The original letter, the envelope would have been classified as incoming correspondence, coded and filed.
I have been keeping a close watch over Louisiana Voice and the comments, most of which I will agree that there is need for improvement. But in this case I have to give Lt. Col. Charlie Dupuy the benefit of the doubt. I personally have known him for years and worked under his command.
I can say he is without a doubt the most sincere when it comes to training given to LSP personnel. He worked his way up the ranks mostly in the academy. His hard work improved the hands on portion of defensive tactics, as well as the fitness and wellness programs he established. I can not under any circumstance see him not re-directing someone back through training, especially if their shift sergeant forwarded a letter to Headquarters. Also if this letter was sent in Sept. 2012, all of Troop D personnel would have attended at least two annual in-service retrainer / firearms re-qualifications, before the murder of S.T. Vincent in August 2015.
Again if Sgt. Savoy’s subordinates were observed by him engaging in unsafe or hazardous actions while in the performance of their duties, immediate action should have been taken on his part, not just talking to his Lieutenant, and the Captain as this would not fulfill his job expectations as a supervisor. The word is document, document, document and after several weeks of observation and documentation, Sgt. Savoy’s – Shift Lieutenant, Executive Officer, and even Troop Commander would have noted the “increased level of liability” they and the department were now under. Any personnel brought to their attention would have been sent for additional training.
As for S.T. Steven Vincent, I pray his family doesn’t have to wade through the thoughts of the department failing him. He was an experienced Senior Trooper that had over 24 years of law enforcement experience. His devotion to law enforcement of selfless service runs in the family. S.T. Steven Vincent was mortally wounded by Kevin Daigle after being taunted by him, he is one who can only be described as beyond criminal, my prayers are with the Vincent family.
Tom Aswell,
This is the most irresponsible, disgusting thing you have done to date, but I am not surprised. You are nothing more than a lying blogger who attempts to perpetrate investigative reporting.
You start out by saying the state police could not find a letter that was written more than three years ago, and I stress the three years, three years. Despite that being a long time and passed the public records retention, lets refocus.
You make statements as if you have actually seen the letter, and you quote Savoy saying that he has a copy. Then why did you not post that copy? Here is where I get to do what you do, speculate nonfactual information. You did not post the copy because you misrepresented what was actually written in the letter. The fact is, it really had nothing to do with remedial safety training. How do you know Guillory ignored several warnings? Did you speak with Guillory?
What I can’t believe is that some people are so weak minded that they believe this. Your insinuations from irresponsible reporting suggest that Vincent was poorly trained and equipped. Did you call state police to inquire about his training records or any trooper’s records? No you did not.
Since your three year time frame you have stated, the state police has gone from 8 hours of yearly training to 40 hours. They have also gone from shooting once a year to 4 times a year. They have also supplied troopers with more equipment to keep them safer than ever before (baton, OC spray, Taser, riffle, shotgun, and backup weapon).
Your implication that Vincent was failed by the administration is a disservice to him, his family, and to all troopers.
Three years is not past the retention time, Jimmy. I’ve obtained documents from LSP from much further back than 2012. So how is it that this document couldn’t be found?
If anything’s misrepresented, it’s in what Sgt. Savoy told me and I’m told by those who know him that he’s above reproach.
That’s so funny you called Deaux Joe Jimmy….while reading Deaux Joe’s comment I told my husband is JR really that stupid. You can tell he wrote it. Made my day. Sometime it’s just hard to hide ignorance.
I’m guessing your not speaking of me. Lol…..i wouldn’t use a fake name. I think you know this!! But I do agree with him!
Once again Tom caught in a lie. “Three years is not past the retention time…”
State agencies are required under Louisiana R.S. 44:411 to develop and submit a records retention schedule (a listing of their agency’s records with the retention requirements to meet their administrative, legal and financial needs) for review and approval by the State Archives. Until a retention schedule has been approved, Louisiana R.S. 44:36 requires agencies to maintain their records for three years from the date the record is made (unless required longer by specific statute). It is important to note that Louisiana R.S. 44:36 does not exempt agencies from developing a records retention schedule or getting approval to dispose of records prior to their disposal as required under Louisiana R.S. 44:411.
You like to spout off incorrect statements. You have no credibility; furthermore, you take no responsibility when you are wrong. You dare blame Savoy for your irresponsible reporting, but just so we are clear on your reporting methods. Some one says something. You ask if they are a good person to their piers. Then you write about it as if it is true. Sounds like sound reporting to me.
And, Jane, you ignorant slut. Unless you have something of substance to offer, keep your pie hole shut. You speak of ignorance and don’t realize that you are the one who lacks knowledge in this discussion
Mr. Aswell,
I am sending this to you anonymously. I do not want to be in the public eye. I am the wife of a Louisiana State Trooper. There is no way for you to grasp the hurt that you have caused by posting the story involving Travis Savoy and Steven Vincent. It goes way beyond your hatred for Colonel Edmonson. It was morally wrong. If you do not understand why, let me explain. A family has lost their hero. In Ethan’s eyes, his father was like Superman. Do you have children? If you were to die tragically tomorrow, imagine what your children or family would have to go through. You, Mr. Aswell, are used to being in the public eye. You write stories and articles to get a rise out of the people. You are used to people judging you on a daily basis. You are used to people saying you are the world’s greatest man, or that you are Satan. It is no big deal for you to hear these things on a daily basis. This is not the way our world works. Most state troopers just want to do their job and return to their family after their shift. Steven’s wife is such a beautiful person, inside and out. Do you really feel okay with knowing she is reading those words? Steven’s brother has already reached out to others in pain about the words on the page. I know for a fact that Travis Savoy, in no way, shape, or form wanted the information you put down to become public. There were very few people that knew about it (until your source got to you).
I also want you to know this. My husband is not a sergeant or any high rank. In fact, we are very close to most of the troopers who are disgruntled with Edmonson. Also, Jimmy Rogers and my husband did not see eye to eye…at all, but they agree on this issue. The story should have never been published. It makes a person from the outside looking in question the officer skills of Steven Vincent. You have disgraced his memory. You, sir, should be ashamed of yourself, and then you twisted the truth. You made it look as if Travis Savoy brought this to your attention. Travis Savoy would never disgrace Steven Vincent. He worked on the road closely with him for 6 years. They were like family. They were CLOSER than family. I know exactly who told you about the letter, and he should be ashamed. Taking this route to get to Chris Guillory was low and dirty. My husband did not see eye to eye with Chris Guillory either. He did not agree with many things that Chris Guillory did, but he would never jeopardize a fallen trooper’s reputation to get to another man. So, Mr. Aswell, if Chris Guillory and Jimmy Rogers would not stoop so low as to write a story with the words you wrote, does that make you have less moral character than those two? The two men that you have spent months researching and finding out wrong things they have done have higher values than you. That’s pretty profound wouldn’t you say, Mr. Aswell? I think you no longer qualify as a person who can judge another.
If you want to respect the badge and the Vincent family, you should remove the story from Louisianavoice and from anywhere else it might be. Also, Travis Savoy deserves and apology for sure. There are very few honorable men like him. It was wrong for you to smear his name all over that article. I have been following your stories, because like I said, we did not favor Chris Guillory. I did read the stories. So…if you feel this is coming from “the other side”, you are mistaken. This is coming from an honorable man’s wife who has spent the last four months crying over the loss of a friend, an honorable man. I had gone 3 days without crying until last night. I cried when I read the article and saw the way you handled the information that you received from an angry trooper who will stop at nothing to get back at his captain. I understand many get frustrated with the way things are handled…trust me…we were on the receiving end a few times, but this is life. Some things might need to be brought to light, but MANY things should NOT.
Once again, I know you are thinking, “I don’t need her approval for anything”. I realize that. That is the world you live in. Journalism/Reporting/Investigating…It is a world that I do not pretend to understand. So, I will not claim to know anything about it, but you should listen to me about the world of law enforcement. What you have done has dishonored a fallen hero. Think about that. Think about making it right.
What she said.
“It appears we failed him in our responsibility to ensure proper training.”
You don’t get to use “we” or “our” if you want to continuously be part of the problem. Don’t be another weak minded fool who does not understand discourse. Don’t take what Tom writes as gospel instead of looking beyond the content. I know you are smarter than this.
Vincent was a hero who died doing his job. Please, if you have any honor, help solve problems instead of being part of the problem.
Aswell listen to Anonymous wife, she echos a great many voices. You owe Steven’s entire family an apology.
Wasted words, you see Tom is in a conundrum. If he removes the story, it proves he was wrong. If he leaves it up, he may lose all of his LSP sources.
What are you going to do Tom?
For what it is worth….I am not a trooper but I have the utmost respect for a group of law enforcement officers that I have always considered Louisiana’s finest ladies and gentlemen in “blue”. I read Tom’s original article and I never came away thinking anything remotely wrong or bad or disparaging about Trooper Vincent. I came away with the idea that Tom had a great deal of respect for him, the job he did and that he truly was sad about the loss of one of our finest. I guess I just wanted those reading this to know that I and I think many others who read the piece were truly moved by his dedication and mourn the loss of one so good, taken way too early, for no reason by a sick individual.
To the Vincent family, both familial and work, I offer this citizens heartfelt condolences and hopes that the grief y’all are experiencing can in some small way be assuaged by the knowledge that there are many, many others who feel the same and were never inclined to think anything else.
What he said.
What you said du chicot
~{EVERYTHING SHE SAID}~.
And this, MY FRIEND (anonymous wife) – is why I have loved you, from the get-go. I am so glad you decided to put this out there, Mr. Aswell certainly needed to read this. Truly written from the heart, and from someone who knows what this life (LE) is really about. Love ya’ll!
http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/14354372-171/our-views-if-gov-elect-john-bel-edwards-wants-to-reduce-states-jail-population-he-needs-a-fresh-sta
If JBE reappoints the current Secretary of Public Safety and Corrections, how can change be expected anywhere in that department?