(RepublicanDaily.org) – A shortage of sheriff’s deputies in the state of Louisiana has prompted its governor, Jeff Landry, to declare a state of emergency in the Pelican State.
According to a press release from Landry’s office, the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association estimates that sheriff’s offices all over the state need at least 1,800 more deputies. In turn, the lack of manpower has caused a significant increase in the response times of law enforcement.
Landy has signed an executive order announcing the crisis, which also lifts the limits on the number of new hires sheriff’s offices in the state can take in, as well as allows for increases in pay and benefits for state law enforcement officers.
Landry, who has a background in law enforcement, said that the lack of deputies has resulting in “increased crime and less public safety” all over the state. The Louisiana governor also said that the state’s legislature will hold a special session to address crime in the state. His order will be in effect until the 15th of March this year. A number of proposed bills have already been submitted ahead of the session – these include proposals to implement more severe punishments for a number of crimes, the publicizing of juvenile court records, as well as expanding how the state can implement executions of death row convicts.
Law enforcement has been on the decline for a couple of years now, sparked by the aftermath of the police’s mishandling of the arrest of George Floyd in 2020 which resulted in Floyd’s death, all of which was caught on video and became viral on social media. This, along with similar incidents in other places in the U.S., along with complications brought by the Coronavirus pandemic have led to a decline in the number of police officers, as well as people who apply to law enforcement. Some smaller towns have completely dismantled their local police departments, relying instead on neighboring police forces and state law enforcement.
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