DEAR EDITOR: As sheriff of St. John the Baptist Parish, I would like to discuss an issue very close to each of us – public safety. The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office is committed to making our parish a safer place to live. By doing so, we help to improve the quality of life for everyone, young and old. Law enforcement and fire-fighting officials are crucial to our well-being. Can you imagine what our parish would be like without them?

Sheriff’s deputies, police officers and fire-fighters face unprecedented challenges today. They are our first line of defense against all crimes and tragedies, and now, even terrorism. They do what most of us are unwilling to do. They put their lives on the line to protect us. We depend on them. Their sense of duty and sacrifice is not the exception. It is the rule.

On Nov. 5, Louisiana citizens will vote on Constitutional Amendment No. 6 to protect law officers’ and fire-fighters’ state supplemental pay to ensure that their salaries are kept sound. State supplemental pay is not a tax and it is not a raise.

It’s been provided to local law officers and fire-fighters by the state since 1956, but it’s also been used as a political tool by some politicians to gain support for other legislative issues, namely taxes. This isn’t right and we want to stop this. And the best way we know to do this is to vote for Constitutional Amendment No. 6.

Now, there’s a way to end the political games, to take the politics out of public safety once and for all. Amendment No. 6 will protect the pay that sheriff’s deputies, police officers and fire-fighters rightly deserve.

We’re all concerned about good, effective law enforcement and fire protection in St. John the Baptist Parish and our state. And because we all share this concern, we should support the men and women who are on the front lines making it possible. Vote for Constitutional Amendment No. 6 to help preserve and maintain the high quality of public service that we receive from our law enforcement officers and fire-fighters.

Every day, they stand ready to protect and keep us safe, this time. I strongly urge residents of St. John the Baptist Parish to stand together and help them in return, for the moral support that unites us in building a safer and stronger community. They deserve all of the support that we can give them.

Sheriff Wayne L. Jones

St. John the Baptist Parish