For the love of the game: Former state champion still playing – thousands of miles away
December 13, 2017
Breakaway Barge
December 13, 2017
As a retail hub of the Bayou Region, Houma’s Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard has seen its share of vehicle break-ins, shoplifting and other crimes during the Christmas season.
Steady growth of retail outlets should lead to a steady growth of holiday crime, but Sheriff Jerry Larpenter says the opposite has been true.
He attributes claimed success to utilization of newly-minted deputies as monitors of strip mall lots.
“We used to have a lot of crimes, thefts and robberies, but since we started doing this we have very few complaints with thefts,” Larpenter said.
The assignment of rookie deputies to the lots facilitates a faster police response to fender-benders and other mishaps, as well as increased enforcement of handicapped zone parking and fire zone violations.
“It gives them as opportunity to handle minor complaints so that they can control the parking lot,” Larpenter said. “They are writing reports and getting experience.”
The biggest benefit for the public, Larpenter said, is the increased visibility of a police presence, which he believes has been a deterrent.
A supervisor whose regular assignment is traffic details, Lt. Brent Favolaro, is among veteran officers who oversees the patrol.
“I get to know these young deputies, and they feel comfortable talking with me,” he said, explaining how the parking patrol serves a field training purpose. He is prepared to respond quickly, as well, if one of the deputies ends up with a more serious situation. He is keenly aware of how a simple parking lot dispute can turn into a more serious challenge, and how quickly.
As he passes through the Walmart lot a little girl dressed in pink, clutching a doll in one hand and her mother’s hand in the other, manages a doll-laden wave.
Patrolling an area near Kohl’s department store last week, he stopped to speak with one of the officers, Deputy Silas Guidry. An affable 27-year-old, he was driving an older patrol unit as cold weather began moving in toward Houma.
Keeping alert to what goes on around him, Guidry said, is key to doing a good job.
Like other newer deputies, he began his law enforcement career working in the Terrebonne Parish jail. He said he likes the way his parking lot assignment permits interaction with members of the public.
“I was on patrol the other day and a little boy was telling me how much he wants to be a police officer,” Guidry said.
Moving violators out of the fire lanes to keep high traffic areas clear, Guidry acknowledged, is a big part of the job. But he expresses confidence that he is ready for anything else that might come up during his patrol.
With the constant Christmas music that can be heard near store entrances and the excitement of Christmas shoppers, Guidry is also certain of something else.
“This job has definitely raised my Christmas spirit,” he said.
