No sooner than I post one story about State Police these days than another one pops up that demands our attention. Having said that, please read my disclaimer at the end of this post.
Meanwhile, LouisianaVoice has learned that Department of Public Safety Undersecretary Jill Boudreaux’s last day will be this Friday (March 4), on orders from Gov. John Bel Edwards who said she must go.
Edwards, you see, unlike his predecessor who could not be embarrassed, does not like to be embarrassed and Boudreaux had become an embarrassment to the administration.
Boudreaux, as reported previously by LouisianaVoice, had gamed the system nearly six years ago (April 2010) when she took advantage of an incentive payment of some $59,000 (including 300 hours of unused leave time) for early retirement of her $92,000 a year job as deputy undersecretary but then was rehired the very next day—at a promotion to undersecretary (with a raise in pay, of course). https://louisianavoice.com/2014/08/24/edmonson-not-the-first-in-dps-to-try-state-ripoff-subterfuge-undersecretary-retiresre-hires-keeps-46k-incentive-payout/
She was subsequently instructed by then-Commissioner of Administration Angéle Davis to repay the $59,000. But then Davis retired and was succeeded by Paul Rainwater whose daughter was given a job at LSP and Boudreaux’s problem seemingly went away but for the fact that those obstinate folks at LouisianaVoice just wouldn’t let it go.
Still, she hung around for another six years at about $100,000 per year. But that was easy, given Bobby Jindal’s propensity to look the other way when it came to any breach of ethics in state government.
But Edwards, who had already demonstrated his discomfort over the $10,500 in campaign contributions of the Louisiana State Police Association, refunded the money when it became apparent that campaign ethics might have been brought into question by LSTA’s funneling the money through its executive director and then reimbursing him for “expenses.”
To reiterate the difference between the two, Bobby Jindal, who received a like amount ($10,250) from LSTA during his campaigns for governor, has not returned his contributions from LSTA.
And so came the word from the fourth floor that Boudreaux must go.
DISCLAIMER:
All of our recent posts might lead many to believe that we actually do have a personal vendetta against LSP. Nothing could be further from the truth. In my 60 years of driving, I have had precisely three traffic tickets issued to me by state police. One was for speeding and the other two were for coming to only a rolling stop at a stop sign. In one of the latter, I contested the ticket in court—and won. In all three cases, I would hasten to add, the individual troopers involved were the epitome of professionalism and courtesy.
I would hope they could say the same for me.
Louisiana Voice 
One can only hope that Edmonson will understand that “business as usual” will not be condoned by Governor Edwards and that others that have been promoted after committing unacceptable unethical behavior are also to be terminated. A cleansing at LSP is long overdue. Governor Edwards has now set the tone for future expectations at LSP. I’m anxiously awaiting future supervisor terminations.
But Ms. Boudreaux still gets to keep the $59K. AND retires on the higher salary figure. So she is “golden” at the taxpayers’ expense. We get beejayed again.
Earthmother, could one make the argument that when she retired that her FINAL or PERMANENT benefit became fixed? I would hope so. Oh, and now I wonder if she, like Edmunson, had made a decision to retire at an even lower rank that what she held at the time of her Official Retirement. Again, I hope so.
This is all a dog-and-pony show. Boudreaux has been ready to retire for some time. To her credit, she is willing to serve as the sacrificial lamb to permit Edwards to toss a bone to LSP critics. Tom played right into their hands with the praise in this post. No doubt they’re doing high-fives on the gullibility of their detractors.
If I got snookered, rest assured it ain’t my first rodeo.
I once had a woman (a distant cousin at that) tell me she had written a number one song: Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Alone Again Naturally. Of course I did a big story about her and it ran in the Shreveport Times and Monroe News-Star and the Ruston radio station saw it and had her in for an interview. It turned out to be a not-so-elaborate hoax. She hadn’t written a word of it but to prove to her mother that she was not a failure, she picked up the first record she saw in a record store and told her mom she’d written it. I suppose she got carried away with her own deception and one thing led to a story and then to a radio interview. She got her 15 minutes.
But if what you are saying is accurate, why did the word come down from the governor’s office? Do you think Edwards was part of the ruse? Frankly, I’d be surprised if he had time to play such games.
Wow! That’s quite a number your distant cousin managed to pull off!!
Gov. Edwards may or may not be in on it, but I do know they’re all getting desperate to find a way to get you to back off of LSP and Edmonson. You should take that as a well-deserved compliment!
Well, I’m working on a couple more leads that’ll just make them more eager for me to go away. But you know, they would never have heard of me if they hadn’t done all the things I’ve written about. I cannot alter the facts, I can only report them.
Trust me she is not a sacrificial lamb,but someone who stole from the STATE!!!!
[…] Source: DPS Undersecretary Jill Boudreaux retiring for real this time 6 years after taking incentive buyout&… […]
Mr. Aswell, it is a fact that you and I share differences politically and in governing philosophies. As a retired State Police Major, I have to admit your reporting has been accurate. I pride myself in verifying information from multiple sources or through documentation. I have yet to find inaccurate information in your stories. While State Police Administration may find your reporting an irritant, the many Troopers who have chosen to contact me have said they want the same thing I want, Integrity and Honor brought back to State Police. Until Governor Edwards chooses the citizens over political favors for the Sheriffs’ Association, that will not happen. There are many dedicated men and women who jeopardize their lives daily to serve our citizens. I just wish I could say the same for Colonel Edmonson and his personally chosen partners in dishonoring and arguably corrupting State Police. The only way that agency stands a chance is with a leader who isn’t from the agency and who isn’t under the influence of the Sheriff’s Association. I mourn for that once proud professional agency and agonize over the efforts, sweat, and even blood sacrificed for an agency that no longer exists. Governor, the citizens deserve it and the Troopers deserve it.
Mr. Patrick,
I commend and thank you for your eloquent confirmation of the facts in Mr. Aswell’s LSP reporting.
J.W, when it comes to the sheriffs, Edwards has to be very/very careful. Why? The sheriffs of Louisiana and their related “grass roots” organizations provide the support and organization necessary to reach the governor’s mansion. In fact, and I’m open to correction on this factoid, every governor since Huey Long-and probably including the Kingfish-had the support of the majority of the Louisiana Sheriffs in office at the time of their particular elections. So, when it comes to dealing with the Sheriffs, one would be safe to recommend that Edwards (paraphrasing Teddy Roosevelt) “walk softly but carry a big carrot.” The Sheriffs in Louisiana are closest to the average citizen in Louisiana, closest to the needs of the middle class populous and understand the body politic of Louisiana better than any other governmental unit.
Save the “stick” for the idiots that think Louisiana should revert back to the horse and buggy days prior to Huey Long.
You’re right, they are powerful. The question every person has to answer individually… “Am I willing to compromise my values to gain or maintain?” Edwards is the one who made the race about “morals” and interjected his “code”. He doesn’t get a pass for reverting to politics over integrity, no matter the cost.
Keep them coming, Tom.
If one were to read through all your past blogs and list all the “Jill Boudreaux-type” people who are still on the Louisiana governmental payroll, courtesy of whatever favor or pay-back, could be fired, I wonder how much savings that would add up to the taxpayers? Just a thought. If Jill turns out to be the only one leaving the trough, well that would prove Keepin’s point.
The State needs to get our money back that she stole!!!!
Good reporting, Tom. Mr. Patrick, I also commend and thank you. I think JBE needs to have a talk with the sheriffs about Edmonson. He is becoming a liability.
Tom you’re right; if they had not done what they did you would not have had a thing to write about. But since they can’t do the right thing, GREAT JOB!!!! MAJOR thank you for you’re service Sir.
Reblogged this on tmabaker.
This is especially irksome for those of us teachers who found in 2010 (1 months nth after my retirement) that the legislature would not allow us to return to work after the requisite one year interval even as short or longterm substitutes. Administrators were able to bypass this law on occasion but schools found it very difficult to fill substitute positions with experienced qualified educators. Sorry kids.