Louisiana sheriff deputy suspended for parking patrol car in handicapped space
A Lafourche Parish deputy chose the wrong place – and time – to illegally park his patrol vehicle on Tuesday.The marked Dodge sedan was parked in a parking space reserved for disabled people in front of a Thibodaux restaurant, where the boss happened by.
Sheriff Craig Webre said he and his daughter were entering the restaurant to have lunch when he spotted the transgression. He posted a photo of the offending auto on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page and included a statement describing the incident, which he described as “an embarrassing and humiliating error of judgment” on the part of the deputy.
“After taking this photo, we entered the establishment and I immediately instructed the officer to return to the vehicle,” Webre said. “I then sent this photo to his supervisors, instructing them to thoroughly investigate and recommend appropriate disciplinary action Webre stated that his recommendation would include suspension without pay equal to the cost of a traffic ticket for the violation.
“As law enforcement officers we must hold ourselves to an even higher standard than the citizens we serve and protect,” Webre said, offering an apology “for this inappropriate and unnecessary affront to the public trust.”Capt. Brennan Matherne, Webre’s spokesman, said the deputy would not be identified because the gaffe was a personnel matter. On the photo Webre posted the car’s unit number and license tag were blurred out.The posting drew hundreds of comments, some complimentary and others suggesting the punishment was too harsh.
There were also those who posited that the Sheriff’s action – and the posting – occurred because this is an election year. Matherne said the same action would have been taken in an election year or a non-election year.
Although several people are rumored to be running against the long-time sheriff, nobody has announced, and qualifying does not take place until August. State law fixes the first violation of the mobility-impaired parking law shall be fined $275.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana sheriff deputy parked in handicapped space. Now he's suspended
