WDSU NEWS HOT SEAT. I’M TRAVERS MACKEL TONIGHT WE ARE TALKING WITH ONE OF THE LONGEST SERVING SHERIFFS IN THE STATE, SOMEBODY FROM ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORING PARISHES IN NEW ORLEANS, SHERIFF MIKE CRAIG FROM SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH. FIRST UP, LET ME CONGRATULATE YOU, SHERIFF. ON FRIDAY, YOU TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE FOR YOUR FOURTH TERM IN SAINT JOHN. CONGRATULATIONS. FOURTH TERM. YES, SIR. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I’M FEELING PRETTY GOOD TODAY. SO. SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS RIGHT OUT THE GATE. YOU’RE A LONG TIME RESIDENT, A LONGTIME PUBLIC OFFICIAL THERE. YOU’RE HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING HERE. WHAT IS YOUR NUMBER ONE OBJECTIVE? OBVIOUSLY, TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. BUT NOW THAT YOU’RE HEADING INTO YOUR FOURTH TERM, WHAT IS YOUR NUMBER ONE GOAL FOR THE PEOPLE OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH? WELL, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE WORKING HARD. I’M GOING TO IMPROVE UPON THE TECHNOLOGY THAT I ALREADY HAVE. AND I THINK THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN WITH MYSELF IN SAINT JOHN PARISH MOVING FORWARD IS JUVENILE CRIME. UH, JUVENILES IS JUST NOT SAINT JOHN PARISH, BUT IT’S EVERYWHERE. THEY THEY ARE MY GREATEST CONCERN MOVING FORWARD. UH, I HOUSE JUVENILES IN DIFFERENT STATES RIGHT NOW, AND THAT’S BECOME, UH, A VERY DIFFICULT TASK TO MAINTAIN. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, MY CRIME CAMERA NETWORK SYSTEM IS, UH, RUNNING FULLY FUNCTIONAL. I DO EVERYTHING IN HOUSE. THE CITIZENS. UH, I ENCOURAGE THEM TO, UH, TO PURCHASE OUR ACQUIRE, UH, HOME SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS OR EVEN RING DOORBELL CAMERAS. CAMERAS? THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS GIVEN SAINT JOHN SHERIFF’S OFFICE A HUGE ADVANTAGE ON CATCHING BAD GUYS. CATCHING CRIMINALS. AND IT’S WORKING. AND I’M GOING TO IMPROVE UPON THAT EVERY CHANCE I CAN. WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT JUVENILE CRIME, UH, AND THE CRIME CAMERAS BOTH IN A SECOND. BUT LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR JAIL, WHICH I GUESS KIND OF DOES LEAD US TO JUVENILE CRIME HERE. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS SOMETHING YOU ADDRESSED ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. AND JUST TO GET PEOPLE UP TO SPEED, YOU RAN LIKE EVERY SHERIFF, ALMOST EVERY SHERIFF IN THE STATE, UH, LAST FALL. BUT SHERIFFS DON’T TAKE THEIR OATHS, AND THEY DON’T TAKE OVER UNTIL JULY 1ST. THAT’S WHY YOU TOOK THE OATH RECENTLY. DID YOU DISCUSS THIS WHEN WE HAD YOU ON THIS HOT SEAT SEGMENT? WHEN YOU GOT A CHALLENGER LAST FALL, ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR JAIL AND HOUSING JUVENILE INMATES. WHY IS THAT SUCH A PROBLEM? IS IT JUST A SIZE ISSUE? DO YOU HAVE TO HOUSE THEM SEPARATELY? WHY IS THAT SUCH A DIFFICULT THING IN SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH? WELL, IT’S A I HAVE A DORMITORY STYLE JAIL IN SAINT JOHN PARISH, MEANING I. IT’S HARD FOR ME TO SEGREGATE JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN MY FACILITY. UH, BUT I HAVE TO HOUSE THEM ELSEWHERE. SIGHT AND SOUND. THEY CAN’T BE AROUND THE ADULT INMATES. UH, THESE JUVENILES REQUIRE A LOT OF. DOES A LOT OF RESTRICTIONS. THERE’S A LOT OF, UH, RIGHTS THEY’RE ENTITLED TO. AND CERTAIN THINGS. I MEAN, THEY GOTTA HAVE CERTIFIED TEACHERS. THEY GOTTA HAVE, UH, INSTRUCTIONS. THEY GOTTA HAVE DIETITIANS, THEY GOTTA HAVE CLASSROOM TRAINING. UH, ONE JUDGE ALREADY CALLED ME AND SAID THAT MY JUVENILES HAVE TO HAVE CONTINUOUS EDUCATION IN MY FACILITY. I ACTUALLY HIRED A RETIRED TEACHER TO COME IN AND START PROVIDING CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION. BUT I CAN’T EVEN GET THE JUVENILES TO GET OUT OF THEIR BED TO ATTEND THE CLASS. SO SO NOT QUITE SURE, UH, HOW THIS IS ALL GOING TO PLAY OUT, BUT IT SOMETHING HAS TO HAPPEN. I KNOW THERE’S A, UH, ONE OF MY SENATORS, GREG MILLER. HE HAS STARTED CREATING A, UH, LAW OR A BOARD, A GROUP OF OFFICERS AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES AND THE, UH, COMMUNITIES TO CREATE A JUVENILE DISTRICT. UH, HOPEFULLY THAT WILL INCLUDE AND INCLUDE A JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER. SO I’M HOPEFUL. I HAVE I HAVE A MEMBER OF MY DEPARTMENT WHO HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO THIS NEWLY CREATED BOARD. UH, BUT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WITH JUVENILES. I THINK THE JUVENILES KNOW WE CAN’T DO MUCH TO THEM UNLESS THEY DO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, REAL BAD, VERY SERIOUS. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THEY KNOW THIS. UH, I’M VERY LIMITED, AND I THINK THEY’RE STARTING TO USE THAT TO THEIR ADVANTAGE TO COMMIT CRIME. AND I THINK ADULTS ARE EXPLOITING JUVENILES TO COMMIT CRIME BECAUSE THE JUVENILES, AS THEY KNOW, WE REALLY DON’T HAVE ANYWHERE TO HOUSE THEM. SO IT’S A PROBLEM THAT MUST BE DEALT WITH. AND I’M JUST SWORN IN AND HOPEFULLY MYSELF, OTHER SHERIFFS, STATE OF LOUISIANA, WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AND DO SOMETHING. I THINK IT’S A PRIORITY. YEAH. LOOK, I THINK YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY JURISDICTION DA POLICE CHIEF SHERIFF, THAT’S FIGHTING JUVENILE CRIME. THAT BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION. YOU HAVE STRESSED THIS A LOT ABOUT CRIMINALS. NO. NO BOUNDARIES. HOW ARE YOU WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH NEIGHBORING AREAS LIKE SAINT CHARLES AND JEFFERSON AND THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE IF SOMEBODY LEAVES ONE OF THOSE AREAS AND COMES TO YOUR PARISH AND DOES SOMETHING BAD OR VICE VERSA, YOU’RE ALL ON THE SAME. YOU’RE ALL ON THE SAME, UH, WAVELENGTH. YOU’RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET BAD PEOPLE OFF THE STREET, NO MATTER WHERE THEY’RE COMMITTING CRIMES. AND ALL OF MY YEARS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, THIS IS THE MOST I HAVE HAD TO HAVE COMMUNICATION WITH WEEKLY COMMUNICATIONS WITH AGENCIES AND THIS ENTIRE REGION. I’M CATCHING BAD GUYS FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS. THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT, THEY DON’T CARE WHAT BAD YOU WEAR. THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR PATCH. THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES. THEY’RE COMMITTING CRIMES. I’M CATCHING, UH, CRIMINALS IN OUR FLOCK SYSTEM WHERE WE GET LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION CAMERAS. WE’RE RECOVERING STOLEN CARS. WE’RE RECOVERING GUNS FROM BATON ROUGE, NEW ORLEANS. MIKE, THE FEW PEOPLE I HAVE HERE COMMITTING CRIMES, MY REPEAT OFFENDERS, THEY’RE STARTING TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF SAINT JOHN, AND THEY’RE GETTING CAPTURED. BUT I’VE NEVER SEEN IT IN ALL OF MY YEARS. ESPECIALLY AS SHERIFF, WHERE MY OFFICERS ARE HAVING TO WORK WITH OTHER AGENCIES AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS. WE EKLY I MEAN, THE THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT IS FORCING US TO WORK TOGETHER. AND I MIGHT AS WELL TELL YOU, WE WERE WORKING TOGETHER MYSELF, JEFFERSON PARISH, SAINT CHARLES, SAINT JAMES, ALL OF US, THE SHERIFFS, WE’RE WORKING AND WE’RE GETTING THE JOB DONE. I FEEL PRETTY GOOD ABOUT THAT. YEAH. LET’S TALK ABOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, CRIME CAMERA, LICENSE PLATE READERS AND PEOPLE’S HOME CAMERAS THAT YOU CAN KIND OF GET VIDEO OF PEOPLE DOING BAD THINGS. I’M GOING TO USE AN EXAMPLE HERE. UM, THEY HAD THE HORRIFIC SITUATION OF THE MOTHER KILLED IN LORENGAR, HER DAUGHTER TAKEN ACROSS STATE LINES, KILLED IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. THE JACKSON POLICE CHIEF MADE A GREAT COMMENT IN SUCH A BAD SITUATION WHERE HE SAID, THANK GOODNESS FOR THE BYRON POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR LICENSE PLATE READER TECHNOLOGY ON I-55 BECAUSE THAT IS HOW WE TRACK DOWN THIS SUSPECT. YOU ARE ON TWO MAJOR AN INTERSTATE IN I-10, A MAJOR INTERSTATE, AND A MAJOR HIGHWAY IN US 90. IS THAT REALLY SOMETHING THAT YOU DO PUT A PRIORITY ON AND CONTINUE TO HAVE TO PRIORITIZE BECAUSE THERE ARE CRIMINALS GOING BETWEEN NEW ORLEANS AND BATON ROUGE WHO GO RIGHT THROUGH SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH. WELL, THOSE LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION CAMERAS NOT ONLY BENEFIT US TREMENDOUS IN THIS REGION, BUT THE WHOLE COUNTRY. ANY VEHICLE IN SAINT JOHN USING A CRIME. WE PUT THAT INFORMATION IN THIS COMPUTER. AND ANY AGENCY THAT HAS LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION, UH, CAMERA FUNCTIONALITIES, I CAN GET A MATCH, A PLATE THAT I’M LOOKING FOR. IT COULD BE IN ATLANTA OF A CAR, A VEHICLE USED IN A CRIME IN SAINT JOHN PARISH. IT’S WORKING, AND IT’S GOING TO ONLY GET BETTER. THE TECHNOLOGY IS GETTING BETTER. THE AGENCIES, ONCE I CAN TRACK A SUSPECT LIKE THE HORRIFIC SITUATION OUT OF TANGIPAHOA. UH, AS SOON AS THAT VEHICLE WAS MADE KNOWN THAT EVERYBODY WAS LOOKING FOR IT, WE AUTOMATICALLY START CHECKING TO SEE IF IT WENT THROUGH ANY OF OUR CAMERAS. AND A LOT OF OTHER JURISDICTIONS DID THE SAME THING. WE’RE LOOKING OF OF COURSE, THEY WENT INTO MISSISSIPPI, AND THAT’S A TRAGIC CASE. I MEAN, THAT GUY THAT DID THAT, THAT’S THE KIND OF PEOPLE THEY MADE THE DEATH PENALTY FOR. SO HOPEFULLY, UH, THAT FAMILY CAN GET JUSTICE. BUT ALL OF THE AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THAT DID A GREAT JOB. I WISH WE COULD HAVE DONE HELPED OUT IF WE HAD TO, BUT WE WERE PREPARED. BUT, UM, AS FOR THE TECHNOLOGY, I’M GOING TO TRAVEL THIS COUNTRY. I’M GOING TO GO TO CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS. I’M GOING TO SPEAK TO OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT. I’M GOING TO SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOING BETTER OR DIFFERENTLY. I’M GOING TO BRING THAT BACK TO SAINT JOHN PARISH EVERY CHANCE I GET. HERE’S ANOTHER QUESTION THAT I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON, WHICH IS A PRIORITY OF YOURS RIGHT NOW. RECRUITMENT FOR POLICE OFFICERS AROUND THE COUNTRY IS DOWN, NOT AS DOWN AS IT WAS IN THE PANDEMIC IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING, BUT IT’S STILL NOT WHERE YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO BE, PROBABLY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO TRY TO INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO JOIN YOUR RANKS AND TO KEEP THE GOOD PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE, BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY HATE IT WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS, I LOVE BEING A COP, I JUST CAN’T DO IT FOR X, Y, AND Z. AND THEY GO, GO DO SOMETHING ELSE. TRAVIS, I JUST HAD A CITIZENS ACADEMY AND I ASKED ALL THE PARTICIPANTS IF THEY SUPPORT SAINT JOHN’S SHERIFF’S OFFICE. OF COURSE THEY DO. I SAID, PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN. HOW MANY OF YOU ALL WOULD LET YOUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN BE A POLICE OFFICER? NOBODY RAISED THEIR HANDS. SO I’M GOING. I’M RECRUITING AS MUCH AS I CAN. I’M GOING TO CAREER DAYS. I’M GOING INTO THE SCHOOLS. ALL THE KIDS THAT MAY NOT BE GOING TO COLLEGE. UM, I’M GOING TO PROMOTE AND GO AFTER THEM AS AGGRESSIVELY AS I CAN. THERE’S SOMETHING WHERE OUR I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE TO FIX. THE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SAY TO POLICE, YOU KNOW, SHERIFF’S OFFICE, LAW ENFORCEMENT, NOT DOING THIS AND NOT DOING THAT. AND I HAVE I’M IN MY TRAINING CENTER RIGHT NOW. MY CITIZEN’S ACADEMY JUST GRADUATED. I HAVE A SIMULATOR. I LET THE CITIZENS DO THE SIMULATOR, AND I WANT TO SHOW THEM HOW WE TRAIN. I THINK THEY NEED TO SEE. I PUT THEM IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT, THE SAME ENVIRONMENT THAT MY OFFICERS HAVE TO REACT AND HOW THEY HANDLE A SITUATION. AND I WANT THE CITIZENS TO COME IN AND SEE WHAT WE’RE DOING. THAT WAY WE CAN START CHANGING THE PERCEPTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND I’M DOING MY BEST. I KNOW A LOT OF OTHER SHERIFFS AND CHIEFS ARE TRYING TO DO THAT, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSPARENT ON WHAT WE’RE DOING. THAT MIGHT OPEN SOME DOORS AND CHANGE SOME MINDS ABOUT WHAT GOING TO SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, THESE KIDS. I SET UP A TABLE AT THE CAREER DAY. THEY WALK RIGHT PAST ME. BUT HOW DO YOU GET THEM TO WANT TO BE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT? I REMEMBER WHAT GOT ME INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT WHEN I SAW THAT OFFICER IN THAT UNIFORM, SPIT SHINE, LOOKED LIKE A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR THAT LEFT AN IMPRESSION ON ME THAT I KNEW I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND I. AND ONCE I GOT INTO THE FIELD, IT’S A GREAT FIELD. IT’S NOT FOR EVERYBODY. I’M NOT SAYING EVERYBODY CAN DO THIS JOB. I DON’T WANT EVERYBODY BUT THE FEW THAT I HAVE, I WANT THEM. I WANT TO TRAIN THEM RIGHT. I WANT THEM GREEN. TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. I WANT THEM TO KNOW NOT NOT A WHOLE LOT ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT SO I CAN TRAIN THEM THE WAY I WANT THEM. TRAINED IN SAINT JOHN PARISH. BUT THEY’RE ALL ABOUT TECHNOLOGY. THEY’RE ALL ABOUT COMPUTERS AND ROBOTS. AND THAT NEW YOUNG AGE JUST THERE’S SO MUCH INTO THE TECHNOLOGY. IF YOU DON’T STAY ON TOP OF THAT, YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE GOOD POTENTIAL APPLICANTS. YOU GOT TO BE ABLE TO TYPE AS WELL. YEAH. LET ME I LOVE THAT YOU THROW IN THE TYPING AS WELL TOO. UM, YEAH. IT’S REALLY A CALLING FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. FINAL QUESTION, I’M GOING TO LET YOU WRAP UP ON, UM, IT’S A HOT BUTTON TOPIC IN THE STATE. THE CONCEALED CARRY LAWS THAT ARE SOON TO GO INTO PLACE. THE SHERIFF’S ASSOCIATION WAS AGAINST THEM. THEY DIDN’T REALLY GET IN THE WAY OF THE LEGISLATURE. THE NEW ORLEANS POLICE CHIEF, WHO I KNOW YOU’VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH, GETTING BACK TO OUR REGIONALISM TALK, UM, WAS ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO THIS. HOW DO YOU THINK THAT IMPACTS THE WAY THAT YOU ALL POLICE IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND IN SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH? WELL, MYSELF AND A LOT OF SHERIFFS IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, WE’VE BEEN KIND OF EVERYBODY SOME IN FAVOR, SOME NOT IN FAVOR. I PERSONALLY WISH MORE STUDIES WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE. I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO GONE TO THOSE JURISDICTIONS AND OTHER STATES AND SPEAK TO THAT SHERIFF OR THAT CHIEF, OR THE MANPOWER, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THAT ARE GOING TO BE IN THE FIELD ENFORCING THIS. I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO KNOWN WHAT’S THEIR SUCCESSES? WHAT ARE THEIR ARE THEY ACCOMPLISHING? ARE THEY STILL ABLE TO GET ILLEGAL GUNS OFF THE STREET? SHOW ME SOME STATISTICS. SHOW ME SOME DOCUMENTATION. I’M NOT CRAZY ABOUT IT. I’M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND TELL YOU I’M CRAZY ABOUT IT. I MEAN, WE ALREADY HAVE ONE GUN ON EVERY SCENE. OKAY? AND THAT’S THAT POLICE OFFICER. NOW YOU HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF AND PREPARE YOUR MANPOWER. THAT NOT ONLY YOU HAVE A WEAPON, BUT OTHER PEOPLE MAY HAVE A WEAPON. AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT CITIZEN CALLS 911 TO SAY, I GOT A PERSON WALKING BACK AND FORTH IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE THAT APPEARS TO BE ARMED. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO TRAIN AND AND RESPOND VERY CAREFULLY. LEE. UH, AND BE HONEST, MY OFFICERS HAVE MADE SOME COMMENTS AND HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, THIS ALL GOES INTO EFFECT ON THE 4TH OF JULY. SO IT’S HERE. IT WAS VOTED ON. IT WAS APPROVED. UH, I JUST LIKE I SAID, I REALLY WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SPEAK TO THE MEN AND WOMEN. THAT’S OUT HERE AND DOING THIS JOB. LET’S TALK TO THEM AND GET THEIR FEEDBACK. BUT IT PASSED. WE GOTTA DEAL WITH IT. UH, IT’S IT’S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE. IT’S A NEW CHALLENGE. I JUST WISH THAT HAD BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO SIT DOWN AND STUDY IT. I’M ALL I’M ALL IN FAVOR OF GUN RIGHTS AND LEGITIMATE OWNERS. LEGITIMATE, UH, CITIZENS WITH THE PROPER TRAINING AND A LITTLE BACKGROUND, BUT JUST EVERYBODY BUYING A GUN AND EVERYBODY JUST HAVING A GUN. I’VE SEEN A COUPLE OF CASES OF THAT, AND I GOT A FEW PEOPLE BOUGHT ONE PERSON, BOUGHT A GUN. THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO WORK IT, BUT THEY FELT THEY, WITH ALL THE HYPE AND AND CONVERSATION GOING ON, THEY JUST BOUGHT ONE. SO I OFFER A LADIES HANDGUN FAMILIARIZATION COURSE AT MY TRAINING FACILITY JUST TO GIVE THEM SOME BASIC KNOWLEDGE AND FAMILIARIZATION WITH A WEAPON. SO GEAUX, I WISH WE HAD MORE OF THAT, BUT HERE WE ARE. IT’S GAME TIME NOW, THE 4TH OF JULY. WE’LL WE’LL SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT. HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY EVERYTHING GOES WELL. YEAH. ALL RIGHT SHERIFF MIKE CRAIG I WISH WE HAD MORE TIME, BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE OUT OF TIME. I APPRECIATE YOU DISCUSSING ALL OF THESE TOPICS ON THE HOT SEAT. AND ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS RECENTLY. CONGRATS. RECENTLY TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE FOR A FOURTH TIME IN SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE. THAN