Community Foundation of Acadiana to Honor Leaders in Law Enforcement
LAFAYETTE, La (press release) – In March, Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA) announced the application process for a new Leaders in Law Enforcement Award. The purpose of this annual award is to recognize one Louisiana sheriff’s department and one Louisiana district attorney’s office for exceptional work in their field. All Louisiana sheriff’s departments and district attorney’s offices were invited to apply and highlight initiatives and programs that have been implemented for the betterment of their communities. A panel of retired law enforcement professionals reviewed all applications and chose the awardees.
CFA is pleased to announce the 2020 Sheriff’s Department Leaders in Law Enforcement Awardee is the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Department and the 2020 District Attorney’s Office Awardee is the 40th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for the parish of St. John the Baptist. Each organization will receive a $25,000 award to be used at their discretion to improve operations and continue to encourage extraordinary performance.
The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Department was chosen for its Deputies Making a Change (DMAC) mentoring program initiated to address the incarceration and school dropout rate among vulnerable male youth in the parish. In turn, the 40th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is being honored for implementing impactful opportunities for those most at risk. Most notably, Opportunity Now, a collaboration with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, XP Synergy and Louisiana Rehabilitation Services, provides more than 100 low-risk, nonviolent first-time offenders the opportunity to change their trajectory and get back on the right path. In addition, proactive crime prevention program St. John P.R.O.U.D. focuses on providing young adults with life-changing employment opportunities to deter them from embarking on a life of crime.
Both organizations will be recognized and presented with their awards at an invite-only luncheon at the City Club in Lafayette on Sept. 10.
“The intent of this award is to bolster morale, increase respect for public service, acknowledge improvements in operations and encourage extraordinary performance among Louisiana’s sheriff’s departments and district attorney’s offices,” says CFA President and CEO Raymond Hebert.
The first year of this award has been underwritten by the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation. CFA plans to continue this awards process annually in order to recognize more law enforcement agencies doing exceptional work in the state of Louisiana.
