Juvenile delinquency and rampant drug use are the key factors in the ever growing crime problem in Jeff Davis Parish, according to candidates vying for sheriff in the Oct. 14 elections.

Incumbent Sheriff Ivy Woods and challengers Kyle Miers and Chris Myers met Tuesday during a political forum hosted by the Jennings Daily News and Jennings Lions Club. A second public forum is set for 6 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Jesus Worship Center, 15430 La. 26, in Jennings

The unsolved murders of the Jeff Davis 8 also weighed heavily on the minds of the candidates, who have all lengthy law enforcement experience in Southwest Louisiana.

Juvenile crime

Juvenile crime is increasing because there is no consequence for actions and juveniles are being influenced by adults, according to Miers.

“Those are the people that we need to go after,”Miers said. “We can sit there and punish juveniles all day long and as long as that influence is still there, we are going to continue to get more and more juveniles doing the same thing. Our focus will be on those who have a negative influence on the juveniles.”

Detailed reports and evidence are also needed to help the judge and district attorney make an educated and wise decision on cases involving a juvenile, he said

An increase in crimes and violence, especially those involving juveniles is a problem across the United States, Myers said.

Myers wants to create a juvenile division to work with law enforcement officials and juvenile facilities on handling juvenile crimes and housing juvenile offenders.

“We send our juveniles to Alabama and Mississippi because we don’t have any facilities in the state,” Myers said. “It is a logistical nightmare to find a place for a kid at midnight and we are talking about kids that are shooting guns. The last one we sent off shot an adult four times. So you have to find a place for these kids and the logistics of finding this place, one bed, is hard.”

As far as incarcerating juveniles, Woods said there is a project going on now with several parishes along I-10 and U.S. 90 to seek funding to build a regional facility in the future.

“The problem is they have nowhere to go and whether, it’s a single parent household or a guardian watching those kids, we are going to try to get their attention,” Woods said. “It’s not like 11 years ago, it’s totally different. The kids have no respect for adults, property or lives. They just think it’s a game.”

Woods meets regularly with the district attorney and school superintendent to discuss crimes that are occurring in the school system.

Miers said anytime a parent has an issue with an uncontrollable juvenile, they should be able to can contact the sheriff’s department.

“The last I’ve checked part of being law enforcement is serving,” he said. “So single parents who have troubled kids can call the sheriff’s office when I’m in and you will get assistance on your troubled uncontrollable juvenile.”

Miers hopes to expand his Stay Alert Stay Alive to teach juveniles about the dangers of online interactions, drugs, the consequences of their actions, anti bullying and human trafficking.

“I personally will spearhead this program into the schools along with the DARE program that’s already there and teach our juveniles about the dangers of what’s actually lurking out there because everyone in here who is a parent knows the majority of our children’s lives are on the internet,” Miers said.

Drug-related crimes

Myers said 70-80 percent of all crimes are drug-related with burglaries the main problem. A lot of the thefts are in the rural areas where drug-dealers are stealing and burglarizing homes and selling the items at pawnshops, he said.

“I had three friends that live out in the parish that had their doors kicked in and their houses burglarized within a two year period from people from outside the parish who were addicts,” he said.

The parish needs to increase patrols in rural areas, especially in highly targeted areas where patrols are less frequent, and get a handle on the drug problems, he said.

Woods said the parish is 625-square miles with four deputies on patrol daily.

“It’s hard to be to be out at every place in the parish, especially when you get a call and it takes two people, then it takes those people out of those areas,” he said. “We try to do our best to do the patrolling all over the parish, but it’s hard to do. You can’t be everywhere ”

Cameras have been placed throughout the parish to help solve many of the crimes, he said

Miers said a lack of deputies on the street is an issue. He said he plans to patrol the rural areas and establish a two-man crime deterrent unit who will be proactive and hit all the high crime areas.

Unsolved murders and mistrust

Myers, who was part of the multi-agency Task Force investigating the Jeff Davis 8 murders, said the unsolved cases are one of the reasons he is running for sheriff. The cases involve the deaths of eight young women whose bodies were found in local canals and swamps between 2005 and 2009.

“At the beginning, before the multi-agency Task Force, that was designed for these cases, I worked the first four cases,” Myers said. “I flew to South Carolina and made arrests on these cases. I don’t know why it is not being mentioned.”

Myers said he has a suspect in every case, except the last two.

“They (Sheriff’s Office) have this information,” he said. “They know it. They’re not working. They have done nothing on these cases in 12 years…They’ll never find what they’re not looking for. They need to start looking.”

If elected, Myers said he would work to bring answers to the victims’ families.

“I’m not saying I will solve it, but I will bring them some answers,” he said.

Woods said the cases are still open and all evidence is being taken seriously.

“We can’t reveal much of what is going on because it is an open investigation,” he said.

The Sheriff’s Office plans to submit reports to the District Attorney’s Office to review, he said. Two of the cases were brought to the DA’s Office under a prior administration and the prosecution was refused, Woods said.

Miers said there are more than eight unsolved murders in Jeff Davis Parish. He said he will use modern technology and work with the FBI and federal drug task force to move the investigations forward in an effort to bring closure to the families.

“….It’s been 20 years and I will say this, evidence has been through many hands in two administrations,” Miers said. “We will take the time and look at all unsolved cases. I will even do this, I will open up my door to all of the families of all unsolved cases and give them the time and the respect that’s needed.”

The candidates also addressed concerns about the lack of trust among local residents for law enforcement officers. Many residents say they are reluctant to share information regarding crimes and no longer feel safe in their homes.

Miers, who was a victim a crime in the past, said he needs to be in the forefront and out in the public to mend those broken relationships between residents and law enforcement with humanity and respect.

“At the end of the day the people of this parish need a change and I feel like I can bring that change, especially with the relationships that I have already established for the community and other departments and entities,” Miers said.

Myers feels a lot of the problems are miscommunications between law enforcement officers and citizens and how they handle people.

“I think we need to open some communications with the citizens and get their trust back,” he said. “I think there is some distrust, but I think it goes both ways. I think that we just need to communicate and work with people.”

Woods said trust is earned and without good communication with the public you won’t get their trust.

“I look only as good as my department looks,” Woods said. “I have good people that work for me from the bottom up. If they have a problem or the citizens have a problem, we have an open door policy. They can call if they are disrespected.”

He said a poll conducted in April showed the parish had a 66 percent rating of a safe parish.