Louisiana State Police (LSP) captains were called in to headquarters in Baton Rouge on Monday to hear the news that had already leaked out across the state that Superintendent Mike Edmonson was stepping down but officially, the head of LSP’s public information office said he knew nothing of reports that he said were “above my pay grade.”
But truth be told, after the way LouisianaVoice has latched onto the sorry story at LSP, had I been in Doug Cain’s position, I probably would’ve done the same thing. I hold no ill will toward him because he was in an unenviable position. On the one hand, his job is to inform the public but on the other, he had a boss to whom he answered. I’m old enough to grasp the realities of the situation.
That boss, while defiantly denying he would resign as late as last Friday when LouisianaVoice first said he was on his way out (and we did say it first), ended his 36-year career at State Police with a whimper today with his announcement that he would resign his position as the longest-tenured superintendent in LSP history.
Today’s online edition of the Baton Rouge Advocate carried the STORY of Edmonson’s announced retirement and in so doing, tied his decision to the “widening controversy” surrounding that San Diego trip taken by Edmonson and 15 subordinates to see him receive a national award.
But that trip, including the side trip taken to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon by four troopers in a state vehicle en route to San Diego, is not the story of what is really wrong at LSP. As one veteran observer of law enforcement noted, the San Diego trip is a mere symptom of a much larger problem festering in the bowels of State Police headquarters. It was never the story.
This was a story of a State Police Superintendent who once told a group of sheriffs at a roundtable meeting at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Baton Rouge that when it came to choosing between State Police and the sheriffs, his loyalty was with the sheriffs.
There are the ever-persistent rumors of parties, too many parties being held in conjunction with official functions. They simply did not coalesce with what the image of law enforcement is supposed to be about.
There are reports, growing in number even as this is being written, of junkets to New York in private jets paid for by a police uniform vendor, to the Washington Mardi Gras celebration paid for by a local contractor, to Cancun on the private jet of a north Louisiana supporter, and of trips to gaming conferences in the company of the owner of video poker machines (Edmonson is ex-officio member of the State Gaming Commission).
There were seemingly endless reports documented and posted by LouisianaVoice of inconsistent discipline of State Troopers, depending on whether or not the trooper was in the inner circle of the Edmonson clique.
A trooper with multiple prescriptions for a controlled narcotic, instead of being disciplined for showing up to work impaired, was promoted and made commander of Troop D in Lake Charles.
A married lieutenant who, along with a few buddies and a couple of single female “bartenders,” took a borrowed limo to a Vicksburg casino. At the casino, he took one of the girls, who was underage, onto the floor of the casino to play blackjack. He was apprehended by Mississippi gaming officials and tried to negotiate his way out of the situation by proclaiming he was a Louisiana State Police lieutenant and “can’t we work something out?” He was fined $600 by Mississippi officials and promoted to commander of Troop F by Edmonson.
A trooper who twice had sex with a female while on duty (once in his patrol car, no less), was barely disciplined at all.
Troopers at Troop D were given days off for making a minimum number of DWI arrests, no matter if the driver was actually drinking. Just make the arrest and let the district attorney dismiss the case—you’ll still get credit for the stop—that was the unwritten policy.
Another trooper at Troop D owned a daytime construction company. So, instead of working a full shift at night, he would work a couple of hours and then go home to sleep the rest of the night so he could work his private job during the day. This was allowed to go on for an extended period of time until LouisianaVoice revealed what was taking place.
Department of Public Safety (DPS) Undersecretary Jill Boudreaux was allowed to take a buyout for early retirement but stayed retired only a single day before coming back with a promotion and about $55,000 in early buyout money which she was ordered to return—but did not. https://louisianavoice.com/2014/08/24/edmonson-not-the-first-in-dps-to-try-state-ripoff-subterfuge-undersecretary-retiresre-hires-keeps-46k-incentive-payout/
When she finally retired for good, Edmonson, appearing before a compliant State Police Commission stacked with his supporters, pushed through the creation of a new lieutenant colonel position to take over her duties. In pitching the position, he told the commission that it would create no additional cost and that it was not being designed specifically for Maj. Jason Starnes.
Guess what? Starnes got the job, the promotion, and a $25,000 raise. Now he administers Management and Finance for LSP despite having no accounting degree or background. When member Lloyd Grafton asked about Edmonson’s promise of no additional expense, no one on the commission seemed to remember.
It was Grafton who first used the term “money laundering” when discussing how the Louisiana State Troopers Association (LSTA) funneled LSTA funds through the personal checking account of its executive director David Young so that political contributions could be made to key political candidates. Young subsequently submitted expense reports for reimbursement of the campaign contributions. Grafton should know a little about money laundering: he is a retired ATF agent.
The LSTA did refuse Edmonson’s request that the association pen a letter to Governor-elect John Bel Edwards recommending that Edmonson be reappointed superintendent. Edwards reappointed him anyway.
And, going back to 2014, there was that surreptitious amendment inserted onto an otherwise benign bill in the closing minutes of the regular legislative session. State Sen. Neil Riser (R-Columbia) did the honors in introducing the amendment. Passed overwhelmingly over the promise that it would have no financial impact on the state budget, it instantly awarded Edmonson a healthy bump in retirement income.
Edmonson had, years earlier, entered what was referred to as DROP, a special retirement plan that was said to be “irrevocable” which at the time locked in his retirement at about $76,000. At the time the amendment was approved, it would have meant an additional $55,000 to his retirement but with the recent pay increases pushing his salary to its current level of $177,400, it would have meant a retirement increase of a whopping $101,000.
LouisianaVoice was notified of the amendment via an anonymous letter. That was when Mike Edmonson first appeared on our radar.
Then State Rep. John Bel Edwards, who unwittingly voted for the amendment, subsequently called for House Speaker Chuck Kleckley to investigate the maneuver but the invertebrate Kleckley refused.
State Sen. Dan Claitor (R-Baton Rouge) then filed suit in 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge and a district court judge struck down the amendment.
Edmonson, true to form, at first denied any knowledge of the amendment but later admitted that one of “his people” came up with the idea and he gave the approval.
That was pretty much in line with the blaming of his secretary for using a signature stamp to approve overtime pay for that San Diego trip and his decision to throw the four who drove to San Diego under the bus for taking an unauthorized detour—even though it has since been learned by LouisianaVoice that he knew the route the four were taking and was in touch by text and phone the entire trip.
That’s the Edmonson persona. He has consistently shirked responsibility for actions that could cast him in a bad light and basked in the glow when things went well. He even is said to have told a retiring trooper—a veteran of two tours in the Mideast wars, no less—that he was a coward and a disgrace to his uniform in a late-night telephone conversation.
While other media have only recently joined in the investigation of LSP and Edmonson (and make no mistake, it was heartening to see them doing solid investigative work), LouisianaVoice has been there all along. This was not a sprint to LouisianaVoice, it was a marathon. And if this sounds a little vain and boastful…well, it is.
And it isn’t over. LouisianaVoice has pending numerous public records requests with LSP on other matters within the agency. We do not intend to let Edmonson’s resignation diminish our ongoing examination of why one man was allowed to bring a great department into such disrepute and disgrace.
The rank and file Louisiana State Troopers deserve better.
Louisiana Voice 
Way to go. This has been a long time coming for sure!
Soooo, the question is, will Edmonson be prosecuted if violations of the law are found for which he was responsible for?
Forget the marathon analogy Tom… This was an Iron Man contest!
It’s nice to see a one person blog that leads the pack in fighting corruption and inept government in Louisiana.
I wish you well in digging a few projects out of your files of many; success comes to those who persevere.
Though I’m unfamiliar with Louisiana Law and the application to this situation. I wonder if the past two days involved negotiation with the governor for a settlement package. Though illegal in Texas some fired bureaucrats get a settlement consisting of simply remaining on the payroll with full benefits for six months of non-work.
Bob Mhoon, that definitely goes on in the Lafayette area for people who belong in “the right circles.”
My guess is they will take their sweet time finding a replacement. Edwards has ZERO room for error after this unmitigated disaster!!
Congrats!!! LV you done good.
Excellent work!!! I’m glad he’s gone.
One man can make a difference. I know that several people helped you with your stories but you stood there (it seems alone sometimes) determined to show the true nature of Mike Edmondson. You had the courage and guts to take on this enormous machine and come out of it still standing. I’m sure at times it seemed impossible, but you didn’t let that stop you. We , the citizens, troopers (both active and retired) and the law enforcement community owe you a debt of gratitude for your sacrifices during the last several years (on all your stories of corruption). The story of David and Goliath can clearly be seen in your investigations. I hope Edmondson realizes that the one man he protected and stood by, Chris Guillory, was one of the main factors in his demise. Gratitude should also be given to those who stepped forward, even when it cost them their careers, to see that integrity would be maintained in our state government. Thanks to Mr. Grafton for taking a stance against the injustices he observed while a member of the LSPC. There are so many people to thank for their contributions, I hope you will accept our gratitude for them. Thanks for keeping Louisiana honest.
Great summation and great work for years, Tom. What’s sad is your blog is the ONLY place where the vast majority of this material was ever even reported. For even the minimal remaining material that was reported in the MSM, everybody who reads this blog knows that it originated here!
Great job as usual, Tom!
In reference to the late night phone call, now the REAL disgrace to the agency is crowned. Great work Tom.
I cant say enough about the detailed continuous reporting done on these issues. It is not enough that the reporting is NOT about finding mob or criminal influence. Years ago I had reason to go to a higher authority and thinking of the various departments in state and federal examples wanted to find the appropriate leadership for this department. In the federal example the uniformed military and the FBI both reported to civilian control, the FBI (closer to state police) through both its director and then to the Atty General. I found that contacting Leblanc’s office, instead I was referred, (As explained in this format and others) back to the former head of training and the uniformed officer that protected our LSU coaches, Edmonson, not just for trooper operation but the entire department including financial and business operation. A design that could lead to an analysis of us being 50th in the nation if objectively analyzed …. but of course we are!
In that design one might not be surprised to have activities long described in this reporting. Large salary increases, retirement increases that result in massive total amounts of diverted tax revenues. While one may often read of the arrest of a low waged employee pilfering state coffers and being justly dismissed and required restitution, What is often ignored is that the amounts finagled by the type activities you have reported is a multiple of magnitude of insults to the state treasury than may be the pilfer. That means Schools, Roads, Health Care, University Research and on, including persons that would want to be associated with us, like the entire executive oil industry then move from Louisiana to Houston. A $89K state police job in Monroe with a life time guaranteed retirement near the same amount likely puts one in the top 10% of incomes in the region. And the likely hood of losing State Police jobs in Monroe. What by the Mississippi or Arkansas State patrol replacing them? Thus an extra $35, 45 or $50k ANNUALLY continuing into retirement … for what? The result 18K jobs reported lost this year 6K last year, family and friends. Its time we do better and there are many ways we can, we just need to start. Remi DeLouche
Tom you did some outstanding work on this situation and congrats to you.
Finally, an ending to the corrupt leader of the State Police! Thank you Tom…
Tom Aswell,
You, in my opinion , are the best investigative reporter in Louisiana.
The people of this state owe you a debt of gratitude for your
persistence in revealing the poor management and lack of ethics
in our state police management.
Before all of this is exposed, most people will be astounded at the
corruption.
Tom, Keep up the great work . Thank you for all you have done.
Lloyd Grafton
U.S. Special Agent (Retired)
Mr. Grafton, we must also acknowledge your endeavors and subsequent resignation. My personal hope is that you, Kathy, and others are aware of the respect so many of us have for your integrity and bravery. Kudos. I hope in the near future to be blessed enough to shake your hand (ah, you too Tom and Robert, hahaha).
Yes Thank you Sir for honoring your Badge in what was installed into you.. You Sir are a great man trying to do great things.. Thank you for your time..
Mr. Aswell, keep up the good work!! Your efforts are much appreciated!!
Mr. Tom,
Thanks for exposing these “hogs at the trough.”
I hope they all get what they deserve real soon.
Forever grateful,
Babs
It is a bittersweet victory. The head of the Louisiana mafia has been brought to the point his ego thought could not come. What is left in the wake of his leadership is a drug addicted Captain taking up space driving 5 to 6 hours a day to hide in the shadows of his office so no one asks how he collects six figures a year. You have many honest men and women that wore the uniform who were bulldogged out just because they would not steal from the citizens or jail them for their daily stat. You have a commission that is housed on the compound ruled by TJ Doss who has had more members resign in his short tenure than any other time during this commission. The LSTA is under Federal Probe and all the dues we have paid and made it to retirement to enjoy our endeavors, is now laid to pay the attorney fees for these crooks who used our dues to grease promotions for themselves.
It should have been telling to the public when someone fails to acknowledge theft is a crime it’s usually because they themselves would have to admit they themselves are a thief.
An earlier comment talked of Guillory. This is the Captain that covered up payroll fraud rampant among his group. You removed the one rotten apple set on top; but will the rest get picked out also? We all deserve much better and must get rid of the rot.
By no means is this a negative for all you have done. As a retiree, if we voiced concern or an opinion, we were threatened with being voted out. You were literally our voice. I know a lot of men that were working in the background from day one on this and I know Personally how much they and their families suffered for doing the right thing. This man ruined the lives of many honest men and women. It will take a strong individual to change the atmosphere there because all of the crony promotions has clogged Baton Rouge with unqualified, unethical, and criminal personnel. The head of IA, Flinchum was his hatchet woman for silencing dissent and he put her in charge of investigating himself. Looking forward to seeing him at the next retiree meeting and the convention. He won’t have his wrecking crew anymore.
Thanks Tom, Burns, and the retirees who stood up to the LSTA you have been vindicated. Thank you, Grafton. Your words made a difference. The next thing to be done is clean out all the rot left by Edmonson.
Tom,
You and I began working together over two years ago on this. You were already engaged in unraveling this corruption. You being a investigative reporter and me being a cop. You instilled in me that transparency to the public on this corruption was the only way to move this matter forward. The agencies with over-watch were already corrupted by Edmonson’s influence.
We had many of frustrating day. You persevered through it all and followed up on all the leads that came in. Our sources of information jeopardized everything to pursue justice. There is still a road to travel to bring all accountable for their actions. I know you have undergone many personal and financial hardships through this.
For Your Courage, Professionalism, and Friendship, I Thank You!
Really Looking Forward To That Book!
I’m sure Edmonson and Jindal will pop up together somewhere soon, partners in a new endeavor to make themselves special at other’s expense. I hope there is a nationwide search to find Edmonson’s replacement and that they hire someone with no connections to any of the cronies still in place so that he or she can make like a new broom and sweep clean.
Dear Tom, Thank you for your relentless and difficult pursuit to uncover the information leading to the resignation of Mr. Edmonson. I am willing to bet many more followers of your blog have wanted to comment even if it were to cheer you on for sticking with the arduous task of the investigative process. Because who really wants to put their name on anything when it comes to law enforcement? Kudos to you and all who were willing to come forward. It takes a tremendous amount of courage with a strong backbone of integrity to take on law enforcement. If it were easy then more would do it.
A quote by Mike Edmonson in this morning’s ADVOCATE:
“This organization will survive anything,” he added, “even the things yet to come.”
One can certainly take this at least 2 ways.
If Edmonson would have been fired with cause, wouldn’t he lose his handsome pension? Seems to me, he still wins by retiring and likely halts future prosecution.
No. He paid into the retirement for his entire career and he is not accused of any felony. He is rightfully entitled to his full retirement.
Tom, to demonstrate our appreciation to you for what you have done to begin the cleansing of the LSP, several thousands of us grateful citizens wanted to purchase a machine to assist you in carting around your cojones. However, even after contacting both LeTourneau and Caterpillar we have been unable to find a machine large or powerful enough to handle that task. But we tried.
Now, on the other hand, I did go to the toy store and buy a Tonka truck that can easily handle carting off Edmonson and Dupy with room to spare now that you’ve kicked the s–t out of them.
So many join me in thanking you for what you have done that most said was impossible. You actually cleaned up SOME of Louisiana’s corruption. I pray there will be more reforms to come.
Grateful Citizen, among several others scheduled for a ride in Tom’s Tonka Truck are Jason Starnes, Chris Guillory, and Tommy Lewis. After the four external investigations are completed, the Tonka Truck will certainly be making more disposal trips.
Whose identity you protecting on these allegations?? You had no problem calling Trooper Miller name with your allegations. Do I see double standard here? If you have facts, you should have named to share .
Well, Sophie, it’s kind of like when a police officer is investigating a suspect and he has to rely on confidential sources to build his case. You do understand that concept, don’t you? If the confidential source is identified, he could be killed as did happen with a couple of sources in a Baton Rouge Police investigation a couple of years ago.
The same principle applies here. My sources still work for Louisiana State Police and their jobs would be in jeopardy if I used their names. But in the case of the person about whom I was writing, he was in apparent violation of certain LSP rules. You can understand that, can’t you? It’s really not too difficult.
Do you remember Watergate? The New York Times and The Washington Post both used confidential sources extensively and together, they exposed Nixon as a crook and he was forced to resign.
NO, IT’S NOT A DAMNED DOUBLE STANDARD AT ALL. It’s called exposing wrongdoing. Period. Get over it.