Are the five Lafayette Police Chief applicants unqualified?

The Lafayette Police Department has suffered from a lack of stable leadership over the last few years. That roller coaster ride started when former Mayor-President Josh Guillory pushed Chief Toby Aguillard from office, citing a poor relationship between the Chief and Sheriff Mark Garber. Following the removal of Aguillard and a taxpayer-funded settlement, Scott Morgan was appointed interim Chief. Morgan was later succeeded by Thomas Glover, who was the product of a national search and an extensive selection process. Some championed Glover as being a great chief. Still, to those who paid close attention to his administration, he appeared to be nothing more than a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hire. It seemed an effort to temper racial flames brought on by outside agitators following the death of an African American citizen resulting from a police encounter.

Glover was ultimately removed and was replaced by Interim Chief of Police Wayne Griffin. However, Griffin’s tenure would be short. A female officer made sexual harassment claims against him shortly after he was appointed and restructuring efforts to get more officers into our community. Griffin was removed and succeeded by Monte Potier. Potier successfully led the department without much controversy for roughly a year before he retired. Judith Estorge was then appointed chief, and she remained for the duration of Guillory’s term and into the Monique Blanco-Boulet administration.

The Police Survey

A survey of members of the Lafayette Police Department was conducted from February 2 through 15, 2024, and became public knowledge in mid-May 2024. The survey focused on and pointed out several areas of deficiency and concern. These included leadership, the allocation of police resources, and the dwindling number of officers on patrol. A few weeks later, Chief Estorge stepped down from her position as Chief of Police. Mayor-President Monique Boulet then appointed Paul Trouard as the interim chief of police for the department.

The Boulet administration announced that a national comprehensive search would commence within 30 days to locate and select the next Lafayette Chief of Police. Less than a month later, Boulet announced that the search had officially begun, with a deadline for applying for the position set as August 9, 2024.

Search Produces Five Applicants

Five applicants have expressed interest in becoming the next Chief of Police for the City of Lafayette. They are Paul Trouard, Dorian Brabham, Hebert Dobler, Dana Coleman, and Lejon Roberts. Trouard and Brabham should sound familiar. Both have served with the Lafayette Police Department for over two decades and have both applied for the vacant position in the past.

Trouard, presently the acting Interim Police Chief, began his career with the Lafayette Police Department in 1997. He also served in the Louisiana National Guard for six years, attended and completed the FBI National Academy, and holds a bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences from ULL, an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Virginia, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Columbia Southern University.

Brabham, who presently holds the rank of Sergeant with the Lafayette Police Department, has been with the agency since 2002. He served in the United States Army / Louisiana Army National Guard for thirteen years and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. Brabham holds an associate degree in criminal justice and emergency management, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and a master’s degree in public administration, all from Columbia Southern University.

Applicants from Outside the Agency

Dobler is the third applicant with military service. Although he failed to mention the specifics in his application, he did request a veteran’s preference. Dobler enlisted in the military in 1981 and served for 20 years. Dobler began working for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office a few years after his discharge. In his roughly two years with the agency, he attended two different police academies. A few months after completing the second academy in 2005, Dobler left the department and went to work for the Church Point Police Department, then later the Arnaudville Police Department. Dobler began work with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office in 2007 and left employment in 2024. He is presently employed again with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. Dobler possesses a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from American InterContinental University and a juris doctorate from Southern University Law Center.

Coleman indicates he is presently employed with the Office of the Attorney General as a Special Agent investigating public corruption and financial crimes, a position he has held since 2023. Before that, Coleman indicated he served as a Police Chief but failed to demonstrate on his application the period or agency for which he served. It appears Coleman worked with the Houma Police Department between 1995 and 2023, rising to the rank of Chief of Police.

Lastly, Roberts, the final applicant, is employed with the New Orleans Police Department. Roberts holds the rank of Captain and has been with the agency since 1998. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Upper Iowa University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Phoenix.

These Applicants Aren’t Good Enough?

The failure to produce any applicants from outside the state indicates to some that something is wrong with the five applicants who did apply and appear to meet the qualifications required to hold the position. Here in Louisiana, we complain about our children leaving the state to seek employment and opportunities elsewhere on the one hand while seeking individuals from outside our state to come in and fill the most critical roles in our government on the other.

According to the Advocate, LCG staff have contacted the State Office of Examiner regarding re-opening the application process for the position. City Councilman Kenneth “Comedy Hour” Boudreaux also discussed amending the budget at the Tuesday council meeting. The change would defund the Deputy Chief position with the Lafayette Police Department and increase the funds allocated to the police chief position to a range of $150,000 to $170,000. The Chief of Police position in Lafayette presently pays $135,880. Boudreaux indicated that this amendment was being proposed based on discussions he had with the administration (reportedly only moments before the meeting) to increase the number and quality of applicants. Really? What a slap in the face!

Boudreaux recited other agencies in the state that pay their police chiefs more, such as:

            New Orleans Police Department – $337,000

            Shreveport Police Department – $230,000

            Baton Rouge Police Department – $165,000

Boudreaux’s “thorough analysis” seems to only base the rate of pay on a municipality’s population size. It failed to examine other relevant metrics, such as agency size, geographical area, budgetary considerations, and more.

Interestingly, the three cities Boudreaux cited are all primarily controlled and run by Democrats. They also rank as some of the deadliest places in the country. So, did they follow the same roadmap of increasing the pay to find the “best candidate” in those cities? If so, they must be disappointed with the outcomes. Or perhaps they had to raise the pay to keep them there because no one else wanted the job. That is not the situation in Lafayette.

Here, we have five candidates who applied for the position, knowing in advance the rate of pay and dynamics of the department. Why are we increasing the pay for the position and trying to reopen the application process? Something smells afoul.

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