“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”
–Alexander Pope
The so-called “investigation” by the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) into the laundering of campaign money by the Louisiana State Troopers Association (LSTA) through the association’s executive director turned into a major sham that only served to reinforce the old adage that crap flows downhill.
But the good news is state civil service employees may now pursue a method whereby they can make their own heretofore verboten political campaign contributions.
Hyped for two weeks as an investigation that would “name respondents” for the association’s deliberate circumvention of state regulations prohibiting political activity on the part of individual state troopers, the “report” of Natchitoches attorney Taylor Townsend, hired to conduct the investigation and to make recommendations back to the commission, was a major dud in every respect.
His recommendation at Thursday’s (July 14) meeting: Do nothing. Punt. Abdicate the commission’s responsibility.
The term “deliberate” is not used lightly here. It was, after all, LSTA Executive Director David Young, in whose name more than $45,000 was contributed to various political candidates, including Gov. John Bel Edwards, who told the commission that the campaign contributions were made through him in order that “there could never be a question later that a state employee made a contribution.” Young said he wrote the checks, dating back to 2003 and the association would reimburse him. https://louisianavoice.com/2016/01/15/louisianavoice-exclusive-at-long-last-it-can-be-disclosed-that-the-reason-for-all-the-problems-at-state-police-is-us/
For two weeks, word has circulated that Townsend’s report would name names and would be sharply critical of the association’s practice.
There is even word of an audio tape at a contentious meeting of association members from Troop I in Lafayette at which it was disclosed by association representatives that LSTA officers made the decision as to whom would receive campaign contributions.
That tape was never mentioned in Townsend’s brief “report” on Thursday (July 14). Nor were any names given as those directly responsible for the decision to contribute campaign money to candidates.
Instead, Townsend said the commission has no jurisdiction over the association or over Young. While that was an accurate assessment openly acknowledged before Townsend was ever brought on board, it was also acknowledged prior to his being hired that the association did have investigative and disciplinary powers over individual state troopers found in violation of state law. And while Townsend was quick to absolve the commission of any responsibility for Young and the association, he conveniently neglected to bring up the commission’s responsibility for enforcement of laws and regulations when individual state trooper actions are involved.
Because the LSTA is a 501(c) non-profit charitable organization, it is free, under certain restrictions, to make political contributions. So, by having Young make personal contributions in his name and then filing an expense report, the LSTA conveniently bypasses state law by funneling money to political candidates through Young.
Carrying his verbal report to its obvious conclusion, state civil service employees may need no longer worry about a similar prohibition against their making campaign contributions. All they have to do is form an association and get IRS approval of their status as a 501(c).
Of course, while state police have received two recent pay increases totaling 50 percent in some cases (and, by the way, they still want more), state civil service workers have been routinely denied even their paltry 4 percent annual merit increases for more than five years now, so they, unlike their fortunate state trooper counterparts, could hardly be expected to afford to make token campaign contributions.
So, the question is how is it that an investigation which only a couple of weeks ago seemed almost certain to result at least in suspensions for identical infractions that forced three of the LPSC members to resign since April was suddenly rendered impotent? https://louisianavoice.com/2016/04/14/two-more-members-of-lspc-quit-over-political-contributions-while-pondering-probe-of-lsta-for-same-offense/
To find the answer to that, one must go right to the top—the man who ran on the strength of his West Point Code of Honor.
It was John Bel Edwards who reappointed State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson, most likely solely on the strength of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association insistence.
Asked by LouisianaVoice on Oct. 27, 2015, at 10:57 a.m. (before he took the oath of office) what his intentions were regarding the reappointment of Edmonson Edwards professed he had no intentions either way:
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
Being as charitable as possible, we now are forced to speculate that Edwards was being less than truthful at the time.
Edmonson was Bobby Jindal’s boy so why would Edwards feel obligated to keep him on? The LSTA even drew the line and said no to Edmonson’s request to have the association write a letter to Edwards recommending his reappointment.
Well, before he was Bobby Jindal’s boy, he was the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association’s boy. The Sheriffs’ Association wanted him to stay around because he is easily controlled and manipulated by the sheriffs.
The Sheriffs’ Association endorsed Edwards when the outcome of his runoff election against U.S. Sen. David Vitter was still in doubt. He needed that endorsement and the condition that went with the endorsement was that Edwards would keep their boy on. https://louisianavoice.com/2015/12/16/lsp-unable-to-locate-sergeants-critical-letter-warning-of-danger-edmonson-is-reappointed-by-gov-elect-edwards/
And don’t forget that Daniel Edwards is Sheriff of Tangipahoa Parish—and an influential member of the Sheriff’s Association—and probably has more than a little influence with his brother, the governor.
Consequently, anything that might implicate—or even embarrass—Edmonson would, by extension, embarrass Gov. Edwards and the Sheriffs’ Association. Accordingly, the report by former State Sen. Taylor Townsend had to be watered down or even killed.
In short, everyone simply circled the wagons.
And that’s now what we were led to expect from one who espouses the West Point Code of Honor.
(Note to self: Stop expecting.)
Louisiana Voice 
Great article, Tom! I know it’s frustrating to build expectations only to have them dashed. I never actually had any such expectations, but having made public records request of the Senate and Gov. Edwards (which, to his staff’s credit, they DID supply without a fuss) entailing Rev. Freddie Lee Phillips’ appointment/rescission and Gov. “Honor Code’s” complete lie as to what led to his rescission, I’m more disheartened than ever!
I just put out a post over the weekend that I KNOW didn’t sit well with HC and his staff, but it is what it is! It demonstrates undeniable racial profiling by Jindal’s Auctioneer Board appointees and, sadly, HC has left a majority of those Jindal appointees in place (four out of the five — there were two vacancies when HC took office). Further, of the three new appointments HC made, one is the son of a convicted felon (Jacob Brown being Cecil Brown’s son) who happens to get a TON of municipal and/or state contracts entailing liquidating state or municipal-owned equipment, cars, etc. One of the remaining two has SIGNIFICANT ethical issues. I’ll just leave it at that except to say that he may cause Edmonson to look like a Saint!
In my opinion, it’s simple political calculus! HC absolutely MUST raise a significant amount of campaign cash over the next two years. If he doesn’t have a large war chest built up as 2019 approaches, he won’t be able to raise funds because MANY people like Edmonson and the Sheriff’s Association will support whomever they deem to be a winner (irrespective of political party or his or her platform) because it is ALL about maintaining power. Hence, if HC alienates those folk who stroked checks for him for the 2015 campaign now (such as Edmonson, the Sheriff’s Association, and all of their related entities), his funding sources dry up fast, and that’s the end of HC having any hope of a 2019 victory. It’s just as simple as that.
Thanks again, Tom, for sticking by your principles and not letting the waffle with who is in power. It would have been immensely frustrating for me to have to “eat crow” and do that same had Vitter prevailed, but if he had, I can assure you that I would have. If we don’t, they just all take us a pawns (which is largely done anyway) and ignore us (again, which is largely done anyway).
Taylor Townsend is to John Bel Edwards as Valerie Jarrett is to Obama,
Well reported, Tom. It is difficult to express in words the level of anguish and embarrassment for many of us who proudly wore the LSP Badge. We have had bad administrations before, but the core of the Department has always served with Integrity and Honor giving of themselves for the greater good of the Agency and the Citizens. Sadly, Edmonson never had a sense of the Institution of State Police, but always viewed it as a vehicle to promote his own ambitions. By surrounding himself with like minded people and promoting those who share the same flaws, he has irreparably damaged the once great agency. There are always these people, but when others fail to stand against corruption they are no better. They’ve all decided the enhanced pay was more important than their Integrity. I’ve often said, there is no such thing as a moral dilemma. We know what is morally right. The only dilemma is having the strength of character to do it, in the face of adversity. Sadly, it appears there none there with that strength. We’ll see what the citizens do. After all, when government turns corrupt, it is our responsibility to stop it.
My over-arching concern in every story like this is the fact our civil laws are apparently of no effect. The letter and spirit of the state constitution and civil laws as they pertain to the state’s budget were routinely ignored over the past 8 years (and the cracks developed well before then). state civil service writes its own rules and ignores the needs of state employees, the state police commission seems to at least lean toward favorable treatment of its members, but, as this story shows, doesn’t worry much about a common sense interpretation of state law, etc., etc., etc.
We once prided ourselves on being a nation of laws. Now, we are becoming a nation of lawlessness. If civil laws are given any attention, the attention is geared toward how to get around them. The approach to civil law is gradually bleeding over to criminal law.
We are in trouble.
The LSTA has historically been a stepping stone for promotion of the LSTA President, who in recent history, seem more than willing to “Go along to get along.” Sadly, ethics and integrity have been replaced by “whats in it for me?” Accountability and taking responsibility for ones actions are not desirable traits. The secretive and underhanded way this scandal was handled, and the use of members funds through a straw proxy in violation of campaign contributions laws and Civil Service regulations undermines the trust and credibility of the LSP and LSTA. Edmonson, et al continues to tarnish what once was an exemplary organization.