Tregre: Safety is paramount for Back to School

Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 10, 2019

Let me start by shouting out loudly, how happy I am that school is starting! It has been a very hot and busy summer in St. John Parish. There have been multiple school supply giveaways and, unfortunately, some violence. We recently lost four very young lives over a short period of time, one to drowning and three to violence. All of them were my fellow East St. John High School Alum. Not only the lives of the deceased have been lost, but also the lives of the ones responsible for the killings. Their lives are lost because of the price they will have to pay for their actions. I offer my sincere prayers to all of these families as they cope with this tragedy.
So with school starting, the St. John Sheriff’s Office has been busy taking steps to better plan for the upcoming year. School resource officers have attended seminars to better prepare them for the school year. I have been in constant discussion with the St. John Parish School Board administration to prepare for the beginning of the school year.

We have taken steps to reassign manpower to ensure that our kids are safe at school. As a reminder, curfew will be at 9 p.m. on weekdays throughout the school year. Please don’t forget to slow down in the school zones, as we will be strictly enforcing speed zones.
On another note, I will be talking school administrations about holding a RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) one-day training session for all female seniors before they graduate from high school. I am in the talking stages about an etiquette class/charm school for young ladies, in order to mirror our Distinguished Gentleman’s Club. I have already reached out to a number of citizens to volunteer in order to make this new project a reality.
With all that is going on in our parish, it is easy to overlook hurricane season. Hurricane Barry gave many of us a little shake up and some sleep deprivation just to remind us that we must be ready this time of year. Have a plan in place for evacuations, or supplies for staying. And please look out for your neighbor who may not have the means to do either.
I want to sincerely thank the community members for their confidential tips during the investigation of the double homicide. If it were not for this partnership, technology, and good old-fashioned police work, solving this case may have taken a lot longer. Even if the information was rumor, or information we already had, it showed our department that the community cared enough to try to help us.
SJSO recently applied for a grant with South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority and was awarded 110 Naloxone (Narcan) nasal spray units. Narcan is basically a medication that reverses an opioid overdose. Nearly all patrol, special operations, crimes scene investigators with SJSO now carry Narcan and the SCLHSA will restock the medication, as necessary.
Did I mention that I am happy that school is starting? Go Wildcats! Go Comets! Go Rebels! Go Rams!  Have a great school year!!

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