Westmoreland sworn in as Leesville’s newest police chief

Published 4:05 pm Friday, January 16, 2026

The Leesville City Council held their first meeting of the new year on Monday in which Mayor Rick Allen swore in the  city’s new police chief, Amanda Westmoreland.

“We are very fortunate to have people that get up everyday and put on a badge to serve people that sometimes are not so appreciative,” Allen said. “This council and I had the privilege of appointing the first female chief of police to the city of Leesville, Beth Westlake — who has done an outstanding job serving the citizens of Leesville with integrity — but today we get the privilege of appointing her predecessor.”

Allen said Westmoreland and Westlake are both compassionate leaders who bring “their love for God, family and country into the position.”

“Amanda is the perfect replacement for Chief Westlake because she also brings family values and compassion and things that really matter,” he said. “Unfortunately, when the public deals with our police officers sometimes it’s not always in good situations and you have to have that compassionate leadership that lets the public know that, ‘Hey, we’re here for you, we appreciate you and we love you but you gotta do right,’ so you have to have law enforcement,” Allen said.

Allen also thanked Westmoreland’s families and friends in attendance for the sacrifices they will make during her tenure as chief.

The council also voted to authorize the city to use its general fund to pay for all invoices related to the CDBG Disaster Recovery Program.

Councilman at Large Phillip Hunt gave an update on the Leesville Recreation Complex, saying some of the practice fields are almost as nice as the regular fields and the complex is working on getting pickleball courts, as well.

“If you haven’t been out there, I really encourage you to go out there and see those fields,” Hunt said. “It’s not just for the city of Leesville but also for Vernon Parish,” Hunt said.

The council will meet again at 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26.