I remember the days of summer were so long that we would forget everything we learned in school. Well, that was my excuse anyway. My aunt, Enola Becnel, the former principal of Fifth Ward School, would give me books to read every summer and of course I didn’t. But she would ask me every time she saw me if I read those books. Well after asking me to many times, I gave in and read them. To my surprise, Aunt Enola has placed $20.00 bills between the pages of the book! So she knew when I had read the book and when I didn’t. That’s what you call hidden motivation. Educators are always trying to educate!!!

Well it’s June! It’s that time of the year when our parish is in full swing with graduation parties, baseball games, swimming, fishing, and people going on vacation. This article may reiterate my previous summertime articles with tips like keep our youth participating in activities, lock your car doors…again, pick up newspapers on the driveway, don’t leave the garbage cans out, set your house alarms and have someone pick up your mail when you are on vacation.

In the meantime, the dedicated men and women at SJSO continue to focus on being proactive in crime fighting. Making arrests are a large part of our daily operation. But I continue to strongly emphasize that putting someone in jail is not an action that cannot be done irrationally or taken lightly. My emphasis in crime fighting has always been on obtaining convictions, not simply making arrests.

Data at the Clerk of Courts Office show that in the seven major categories of violent crime in St. John from May 1, 2016 through March 31, 2019, our officers have obtained convictions in 86% of the arrests made. During that same timeline the felony drug arrest conviction rate is 96%. These numbers are proof that the investments in training our deputies are working. But as former District Attorney Tom Daley once said, “You can’t win them all!”

Hurricane season is here. SJSO has been working with other government agencies to prepare. We need to stock up on supplies, do that preventive maintenance on vehicles, run you generators and start eating all of that seafood you have stored in your freezer! Power outages are a common occurrence this time of year and Louisiana seafood is a terrible thing to waste.

Call the sheriff’s office POPS program to make sure that your loved ones have up to date information on contacts and addresses. We will continue checking in on our POPS participants to make sure they are safe and being taken care of this summer. This list also becomes important in the case of an evacuation.

Finally, I know the kids and the teachers are sleeping late and enjoying some much needed rest. As for us, our day stays the same with preparing for fireworks displays, School Resource Officers training, speeding motorists, and hopefully soon….. school supply giveaways!

Have a safe and happy summer St. John!

Mike Tregre is sheriff of St. John the Baptist Parish. Reach him at m.tregre@stjohnsheriff.org.