By CALEB FREY

Staff Reporter

LUTCHER – After his first four months in office as the Town of Lutcher’s Police Chief, Earl White is especially pleased with what the town has managed to accomplish in terms of an increased police presence, thanks to the help of the St. James Sheriff’s Office.

White was appointed to the post in March by Gov. Kathleen Blanco to replace former Lutcher Police Chief Corey Pittman, who was removed after pleading guilty to soliciting crack cocaine to undercover federal agents last August.

Shortly after assuming the post, White and Lutcher Town Mayor Troas Poche entered into a contract with the St. James Sheriff’s Office to have at least one person per shift patrol Lutcher.

White handles complaints from the station in Lutcher, sending the criminal type cases and complaints to the St. James Sheriff’s Office. White personally handles less serious complaints such as abandoned vehicles and things of that nature. White meets with St. James Sheriff Willy Martin on a regular basis in an effort to keep communication between the two departments open and working well, he said.

&#8220Residents are very pleased with the job St. James officers are doing,” White said. &#8220A lot of folks are saying they’ve seen more police presence in the last few months then they ever have.”

White gets a written report of all crimes handled by St. James and each shift leader makes contact with White weekly to ensure they’re meeting the needs of the town as far as police presence is concerned.

An election is scheduled Sept. 30 for White’s replacement. He has already said publicly he will not be running for the position and his appointment was only temporary. White said he is not sure if the new Police Chief will want to contract out Lutcher’s law enforcement needs or

rebuild the department in Lutcher, but he hopes they continue on their current path.

&#8220It’s a tremendous cost to run a police department not to mention a huge liability,” White said. &#8220I would hope whoever takes over decides to keep things as they are.”

The contract between Lutcher and the St. James Sheriff’s Office is set to expire at the end of 2006.