Jeff Davis Parish’s new sheriff was officially sworn into office Tuesday.

With his hand on his late father’s well-worn Bible, Sheriff Kyle Miers took the oath of office from local attorney Daniel Sparks in front of a packed crowd during an inaugural ceremony at the Grand Marais event venue in Jennings.

Miers, who defeated incumbent sheriff Ivy Woods in last November’s election, assumed his duties at midnight on July 1.

“On Nov. 18, 2023 the people of Jeff Davis Parish voted for change,” Miers said. “Your voices were heard and a change in command took place. People of Jeff Davis Parish you have completed your duty, now it is time for us to perform our duties.”

Miers said he has surrounded himself with a great team and is looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead over the next four years. He and his newly appointed command staff vowed to lead with integrity, accountability and collaboration.

“To the residents of Jeff Davis Parish, thank you for this great opportunity to serve you,” Miers said. “This is a great task that I do not take lightly and you will get my all.”

Miers said he understands the responsibilities as the chief law enforcement officer of the parish and will serve all areas of the parish. He also pledged to work with parish leaders in all aspects of the law and in managing the department, including the parish jail.

“I ask this of the people of the parish, please contact me if you feel an injustice was done to you or if you witness any personnel do wrong, but most importantly, I ask this of you, please contact me when you witness a JDSO deputy going above and beyond the call of his duty,.” he said. “Recognition for good deeds is just as important as discipline for wrongdoing.”

His confidence to lead is shared by his wife Miranda who said the decision to run for sheriff was not an easy one, but one the family made after careful thoughts and prayers.

“I am extremely excited to finally be at our next chapter of our lives and to be a part of history,” she said.”….I believe with all my heart Kyle winning sheriff is God’s will, not only for my family but this parish.”

Miers introduced his new command staff to the public during a pinning ceremony saying each member was selected based on their specific skills.

“Each one of these people were picked over long discussions and quite frankly they were pretty easy choices when we started looking at resumes and bios,” he said. “I am proud to say that every single commander is better than me in the division they are going to command. I am very proud to put this team together.”

Warren Levy, will serve as the new chief deputy; Danette Hargrave, commander of finance and tax division; William Powell, commander of corrections; Travis Mier, commander of investigations; Kerrick Gabrial, commander of enforcement division and Cade Doucet, commander of special services division. Nicholas Ford will be the administrative assistant.

He urged the team to work diligently for equal justice, hold those accountable who are deserving and lead with integrity and selflessness.

Miers said he was humble and thankful for his deputies helping to usher in a new era in law enforcement in the parish. He called on them to give their all every day in everything they do for the community and to keep their integrity when faced with temptation, to help their brothers and sisters in blue when in need and treat everyone like they are a family member.

“…I want to apologize to each and every one of you for all the uncertainties you had to face during these past months,” he said. “I have spoken to many of you, one-on-one, and I listened. I want you all to know I have worked in many different areas within a sheriff’s office and I understand your wants, your needs and your concerns.”

He said plans are already underway to make changes and improve the department to ensure that deputies have the training and equipment needed to perform their duties to the best of their abilities.

The ceremony marked the beginning of Miers’ tenure, bringing experience and dedication to the leadership role.

Miers started his law enforcement career in 2000 at Ward 3 City Marshal’s Office in Lake Charles before joining the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.

During his career he gained experience in corrections, patrol and investigations. He was a member of the SWAT team for five years, spent 10 years on the dive team and two years as supervisor for the underwater criminal investigations unit.

He developed the supervised CPSO wellness program and was awarded the CPSO Challenge Coin for saving a potential drowning victim. Before his leave of absence, he was first-line supervisor for felony crime investigations and helped solve multiple major felony cases using today’s technology.