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The state troopers who patrol the highways to keep Terrebonne and Lafourche safe faced their toughest challenge yet.
Col. Mike Edmonson, superintendent of Louisiana State Police, was in town, and not for recreation. Edmonson came to the troop’s headquarters in Gray for an inspection.
All the troopers lined up at attention, their uniforms, gear and vehicles all under scrutiny. Edmonson went down the line, shaking hands with each trooper and engaging in a short conversation. Capt. Frank Besson, Troop C commander, followed Edmonson shortly afterward to get a second set of eyes on the troopers and their vehicles.
Troop C’s men and women, wearing their State Police best, passed with high marks from the state department’s head honcho. In reality, if the troop is on its game, the colonel’s visit is largely ceremonial. According to Edmonson, it is a chance for both him and the troopers to put a face to the badges.
“To me, it’s genuine, and I’m all about family. I monitor and pay attention to what goes on around the state all the time. I see their reports. I hear about the events they go through, the events they make,” Edmonson said. “I hear about the births of their baby, deaths within their family. So, this gives me an opportunity to just, one-on-one, ask them how they’re doing.”
The day prior to last week’s inspection, Edmonson was the featured speaker at the South Central Industrial Association membership luncheon. Edmonson spoke about his efforts to improve cooperation among different police departments since he became superintendent in 2008.
“Eight-and-a-half years ago, we weren’t sharing resources. We weren’t using the same communication system; we weren’t using the same databases. We weren’t sharing them. And that’s a shame,” he said. “You had state police over here doing their job, the sheriffs doing their job and the city police doing their job. All doing a great job, but we weren’t working together.”
Troop C spokesman Trooper First Class Jesse LaGrange said the troop is always working with local sheriff’s offices and city police departments, noting each looks to provide support when available.
“We stay on top of each other. That way we can keep a handle on if something goes on, say in the Houma city limits with the police department,” LaGrange said. “We’re able to come out and see if we can assist and see if our resources are needed at the time.”
Edmonson also noted the reduction in traffic fatalities in Louisiana over the last eight years, saying the state had 997 in 2007. Numbers indicate Louisiana reduced the figure to 580 in 2015. A big part of that drop has been better seatbelt usage. According to LaGrange, Troop C has the highest seatbelt compliance rate in the state with 94 percent of riders using it, in comparison to 86 percent of drivers nationally.
“If you get into a crash, the most important thing you can do is have your seatbelt on,” LaGrange said. “We talk about airbags, that’ll cushion me or something. Those are all secondary devices … The seatbelt, that’s the primary system.” •
