So, Louisiana State Police (LSP) Superintendent Robert Hodges is angry. Pissed. Irate. Furious.
At me.
Because of a post-op doctor’s appointment today, I was unable to attend the meeting of the Louisiana State Police Commission. (The commission is supposed to meet monthly, by the way, but today’s meeting was the first since May. No explanation has ever given why the commission skipped three consecutive meetings.)
Be that as it may, Col. Hodges reportedly had his skivvies in a knot over a recent story by LouisianaVoice about the appointment of a retired state trooper to a WAE (When Actually Employed, or a part-time appointment) position while she was residing in Greece. A subsequent story also revealed that two other WAEs were living in Mississippi and Alabama, respectively.
Hodges went on a tear in attacking bloggers who have never walked a mile in LSP’s boots, bloggers “with nothing better to do than to sit around” and (apparently) take pot shots at those out there trying to do their jobs.
Well, Col. Hodges, you’re certainly entitled to your opinion but let’s look at a few facts:
Without LouisianaVoice’s diligence and persistence, there would have been no story about:
- The attempt by then-Superintendent Mike Edmonson to pad his retirement by about a hundred grand a year via a blatantly illegal legislative amendment by a friendly legislator (State Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia) that actually passed the legislature but which was subsequently overturned following our story.
- The practice of a state trooper to participate in sexual relations in his patrol car while on duty (and even got his vehicle stuck in the mud after one such tryst).
- A state trooper who accompanied an underage (20 years old) woman illegally into a casino in Vicksburg after being told she could dine in the restaurant but could not enter the gaming area of the casino. The trooper, who was fined $500 by the Mississippi Gaming Commission after unsuccessfully getting Mississippi authorities to “work something out” because he was a Louisiana state trooper, was subsequently promoted to commander of Troop F of Monroe.
- That infamous trip in a state vehicle by four state troopers to an event honoring Edmonson in San Diego – with a side trip to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. One of the participants in that little road trip later retired and was hired as Baton Rouge Chief of Police. It was after news of that trip was published that Edmonson retired.
- Troop L’s practice (on instructions of its troop commander) to troopers to write as many DWI tickets as possible so that troopers, who reached a certain minimum could get a day off. “It doesn’t matter if they (the motorists) haven’t been drinking – the DA will dismiss the charges but you’ll still get credit for issuing the ticket,” troopers were told.
- The altercation between a state trooper and a New Orleans attorney over the attorney’s inadvertently parking too close to the hunting spot of the trooper and his brother. The attorney filed a complaint that the trooper had threatened him physically.
- The State Troopers Association’s contributing to political campaigns in strict violation of state civil service rules. The executive director of the association subsequently retired following publication of our story.
- And most egregious of all, we might never have known the facts about the killing of Ronald Greene or the beatings of two other Black men by Troop F troopers. At that, it took more than a year for details – and a video that made liars of LSP – to surface. The statement at the time by a retired state trooper that LSP was “circling the wagons” was eerily accurate, stat-at-home bloggers notwithstanding. That same blogger (LouisianaVoice) also just happened to inform readers that a legislative committee formed to investigate Greene’s killing quietly went away without ever doing any real substantial investigative work – just as we had predicted earlier.
I have a couple dozen more such stories about the rot within LSP, the so-called “shining light on the hill” of law enforcement for Louisiana but to try and list any more would just be flogging a dead horse. Besides, the examples I’ve provided give a pretty good insight to how LSP, an out-of-control agency, considered itself above reproach and immune to ethical standards.
So, Col. Hodges, in the words of one of my tough-but-fair former supervisors, you can “get mad or get glad.” I really don’t give a damn.
Louisiana Voice 
I recommend Lloyd Grafton be appointed as Ombudsman at/over the Louisiana State Police (LSP.) Without such independent oversight, the LSP will continue its violation of laws, rules, regulations, and ethics.
The following is the purpose and function of an Ombudsman.
An ombudsman is a person who investigates and resolves complaints, usually through recommendations or mediation. They are often government employees who are appointed by parliament or the government.
Ombudsmen work independently and impartially and are separate from the agencies they oversee. They analyze, report on, and raise concerns and complaints to the appropriate agency for resolution. They also advocate for improvements in policies and procedures.
John, I believe the position Inspector General still exists and its responsibilities mirror those of the position you cite, though its authority has been diminished and it now is subject to excessive oversight that discourages it doing as originally intended by Gov. Roemer. Nobody ever mentions it anymore and we rarely hear from any internal or external government watchdogs. I guess accountability is dead and didn’t even have a decent funeral.
Don’t forget about Jared Riecke.
Living in the past is a bad look, Tom. Nothing you rambled about here is relative to what was talked about today. You falsely claimed Melissa Matey was fired from her WAE position, you falsely claimed LSP didn’t get the “requisite approval” for her hiring as a WAE, and you falsely claimed troopers are performing “patrol duties” from out of state. You can type as long of a dissertation as you like, but none of that refutes the fact that you, without any shadow of a doubt, lost any shred of credibility your “reporting” had today. I recommended that you delete your previous story, but you chose to keep it up. I have a feeling that you will be getting much more mad, than glad, very soon.
Everything I wrote about is relevant because it illustrated a culture in LSP. “Fired,” by the way, is your word, not mine. I said her WAE appointment was terminated which, according one usually reliable source, was accurate, though Hodges denied this. And the “requisite approval” was not given through normal channels (LSPC approval) for her WAE hire because the LSPC had not met since May and she was appointed in June. The out-of-state “patrol duties” was a facetious statement as anyone should be able to discern.
And yes, you did recommend that I delete the original story but you (a) did not identify yourself (I asked you to tell me who you are, but you never responded), (b) used a fake email address and (c) ignored my request that you tell me specifically where the errors were in the story. Seems to me that it was you, not I, who lost credibility there.
One more observation: I made a public records request of LSP but it seems any request these days is met with stonewalling. The response I got was that I would have to wait 45 days for the information I requested. If LSP were a little more forthcoming, it might eliminate the distrust and misunderstandings. The state’s Public Records Statute mandates that public records requests “shall” be complied with immediately (look it up). Apparently that means nothing to LSP.
So, yes, what I wrote today is relevant, your saying otherwise notwithstanding.
A sick culture has percolated throughout LSP for decades and tainted other agencies and corrupted elected officials throughout the state. So very grateful for this blogger’s courage and integrity — and investigative skills acquired through decades of reporting. And so very grateful that I no longer live in Louisiana. It would take Batman to clean it up.