Jeff Davis Parish leaders from education, law enforcement, criminal justice, and other sectors convened on Tuesday for the inaugural State of the Parish event, hosted by the Jeff Davis Chamber of Commerce.

The meeting provided a platform for leaders to discuss the parish’s progress, challenges, and future goals through updates and open discussions with local residents, business owners, and stakeholders. The purpose of the event was to gain insights into the progress of the parish from economic development, education and to public safety.

Police Jury President Steve Eastman and Parish Administrator Ben Boudreaux highlighted the parish’s current focus on strategic and responsible growth to improve the quality of life for residents while ensuring prudent management of public funds.

Eastman highlighted the significant growth the parish has experienced on the east side, north of Jennings, around Jennings, and in Welsh and emphasized the potential for future development due to the parish’s valuable natural resources. These include a strong agriculture industry, the established oil and gas sector, waterways facilitating grain transport along the Mermentau River, and railways that support the movement of rice for local mills.

While the interstate is considered a vital asset, several exits remain undeveloped. The parish is actively working to connect service roads to all exits to encourage business development. The police jury is currently collaborating with a developer in Roanoke to realign the service road to the east.

Eastman said the parish has attracted numerous industries and retail businesses in recent years. New additions include Ice Industries at the Lacassine Industrial Park, which manufactures metal components for solar panels destined for Iberia Parish, and DecoExchange, a substantial online craft supply business, also located in Lacassine. Several catalyst plants, along with Apeck Aggregate, and Metalplate Galvanizing have established operations in the parish. Additionally, Bayou Rum distillery and Henry’s Travel Plaza in Lacassine are expanding, and Greenberry Industries has moved into the Silverwood area along the Mermentau River. Several travel centers are also planned for the Lacassine and Welsh areas.

“As you can see there is a lot of development happening in Jeff Davis Parish,” Eastman said. “We just have to keep this going and keep pushing for it. Economic development is the driver for this and we have to keep pushing and we have to all work together.”

To further promote economic development, the police jury recently created economic development districts in Roanoke, Lacassine, and Iowa, with the aim of generating additional tax revenue from travelers. Eastman said the goal is to capture taxes from interstate travelers to fund necessary infrastructure improvements that support business development in the parish.

He also shared his long-term aspiration of seeing a hotel in Lacassine within the next two decades.

In other developments, the police jury is advancing with a $2.1 million animal shelter project, which will include 40 dog runs, 34 cat enclosures, an exercise yard, and surgical facilities. The project is being funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, ensuring no direct cost to taxpayers. The police jury is considering reallocating the parish’s existing jail tax to support the shelter’s ongoing operations. Eastman believes the increased tax revenue from new businesses and travel centers will provide sufficient funds, eliminating the need for additional taxes or millages for the animal shelter.

Parish Administrator Ben Boudreaux underscored the parish’s commitment to the efficient use of taxpayer funds. He noted updates to policies and procedures aimed at improving customer service and enacting ordinances to protect the parish, all geared towards enhancing efficiency and maximizing the use of existing resources. These efforts have already resulted in significant savings, with the parish saving between $200,000 and $400,000 on insurance this year.

Additional ARPA funds are being allocated to rural water districts for plant expansions in Lacassine and north of Welsh, while separate funding will support expansion for the water district north of Jennings. Boudreaux also mentioned ongoing efforts to improve drainage to protect parish roads and the pursuit of funding for sewer improvements.

Jeff Davis Parish School Superintendent John Hall also provided an update on school improvement and safety projects.

The school system is making substantial investments in safety enhancements, with a key focus on providing fencing and vestibules with single entry points for all schools.

Hall said the goal of the projects are to create controlled access, directing visitors to designated entry points rather than allowing unrestricted movement around the school buildings.

Future plans also include the installation of laminate on windows, offering outward visibility while limiting the view from the outside.

Safety improvement projects are slated to begin soon at schools in Welsh and Lake Arthur, as well as at Welsh-Roanoke Junior High, with similar projects at Elton schools nearing completion.

In addition to physical security measures, the parish is upgrading technology, including new camera systems which will allow school administrators and law enforcement to remotely monitor classrooms and hallways from any location, on or off campus. Portable metal detectors have also been added to all schools and are being used at various events.

Sheriff Kyle Miers shared an update on the progress and improvements within the sheriff’s office since assuming office last July.

He addressed challenges, including 13 vacant positions in the jail and patrol divisions, and a shortage of operational vehicles. He noted that officers were sharing vehicles due to the poor condition of many in the fleet, while seven new vehicles were sitting unused in storage.

Since then, the sheriff’s office has replaced 12 vehicles with plans to continue a rotational replacement schedule.

Miers said prior to taking office, funding of a quarter million dollars was secured through legislation for the purchase of vehicles and canines, which facilitated these improvements. The canine unit has been expanded, and Miers aims to have a canine unit available on every shift and is working towards adding a fifth canine for interdiction purposes.

Significant structural changes have also been implemented, including the development of a clear chain of command and a standardized pay scale to address previous inconsistencies.

Miers highlighted that through collaboration with the police jury, some of the lowest-paid deputies received raises of nearly $8,000. Health insurance benefits have also been expanded to include spouse and family coverage.

Technology upgrades have significantly reduced booking processing times, from 2-3 hours down to 20 minutes, and communication systems have improved connecting deputies with other law enforcement agencies, the district attorney’s office, and the judge.

To enhance physical readiness of deputies, the office implemented its first physical assessment, consisting of push-ups, sit-ups, and a one-mile run, with time limits varying by division. Additionally, a wellness area equipped with exercise machines and weights has been created for deputies to use.

Miers emphasized that these improvements were achieved while remaining under budget, thanks to renegotiated service contracts.

He has also fostered better communication through an open-door policy and monthly meetings with local police chiefs to discuss current issues and upcoming events.

The sheriff’s office is actively involved in supporting local schools with school resource officers (SROs), increasing the number of qualified SRO deputies.

“When we came in they had two qualified SRO deputies and two that were not qualified, they weren’t even post certified so we immediately had to remove them,” he said. “We got with the school board and now the sheriff’s office has provided four SROs with one DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) office and the Welsh Police Department has provided an SRO.”

Looking ahead, Miers outlined future goals, including seeking grants for technology upgrades for patrol officers, such as live-stream body cameras for 911 dispatchers to monitor, continuing to update the vehicle fleets, adding more canines, and conducting active shooter instructional classes. He acknowledged the limited number of deputies and officers in the cities and the importance of having reliable backup through technology when physical backup is scarce.

“We know that we are limited in deputies and officers in our cities, where backup is rare,” he said. “So the only backup they have is the radio or the dispatcher that’s watching the video.”

District Attorney Lauren Heinen highlighted her office’s key focus has been on improving efficiency, maintaining a balanced budget, and upgrading technology.

“Within the district attorney’s office, we have monthly staff meetings and we always start with our mission,” Heinen said. “We have pillars that we’re always looking at, and it’s prosecution, it’s fiscal responsibility, it’s community and it’s also technology.”

Regarding prosecution, she said the office is prioritizing public safety and striving for an efficient judicial system.

“We are so fortunate to have put our blood, sweat and tears into really maximizing the prosecutorial process and working with law enforcement, the clerk’s office and the judge’s office and making sure that we have court dockets that are flowing and that we’re able to actually have trials and actually able to get dispositions on cases relatively quickly,” she said.

She further explained the office’s commitment to timely case management.

“Whenever we have a case that comes in, it starts a time clock,” she continued. “We’re trying to dispose of these cases within two years. And that sounds like a long time, but if you’ve ever been a part of a judicial process, it doesn’t move entirely quickly, but to put things into perspective, whenever I walked into that office, we had cases that were four, five and six years old. That’s just too old for criminal cases. So that’s a big portion of what we do.”

The implemented policy and procedure improvements have also facilitated the diversion of certain cases from the traditional criminal tracks, including the establishment of a juvenile diversion program.

Addressing fiscal responsibility, Heinen acknowledged the initial budget constraints, including a significant reduction of about $300,000 in salaries leading to understaffing. Currently, the office operates with a balanced budget and a full staff, supported by funding from the police jury, grants and  internally generated revenue.

Looking forward, Heiene said the key priority is the ongoing upgrade of the officer’s technology to further streamline processes and enhance overall efficiency.