State Police investigating Houma PD

Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. has asked the Louisiana State Police to investigate “any and all allegations they legally can” surrounding the police chief and other incidents involving the Houma Police Department.

Waitz sent the request via letter on Friday. He did not limit the request to specific allegations against Police Chief Pat Boudreaux to give state police a freer hand if they decide to investigate.

“There are a lot of allegations floating out there,” Waitz said. “I just want them to interview witnesses and determine what allegations and cases are out there and let them handle it from there.”

Boudreaux has been on paid administrative leave since July 3. Todd Duplantis has served as interim police chief since.

Among the issues the state police may investigate are accusations made to the Houma Municipal Police and Fire Civil Service Board alleging Boudreaux misused equipment, failed to properly investigate officers’ actions and made inappropriate sexual comments to female employees.

The state police might also examine how a misdemeanor report involving Terrebonne General Medical Center Board Chairwoman Jerri Smitko was leaked to the media.

Last month, District Judge George Larke found that a Civil Service Board investigation would have violated Boudreaux’s right to due process.

Larke said Parish President Michel Claudet should investigate the outstanding complaints against Boudreaux.

On Thursday, Claudet had decided to hire a retired state police detective to conduct the investigation. But with Waitz asking the Louisiana State Police to get involved, Claudet now hopes the agency takes on his investigation so the parish would not have to pay for it.

“If the state police would be willing to do a similar investigation free of charge, hey, I’m happy with that,” Claudet said during a phone interview Monday. “I want to make sure this investigation is independent, fair and unbiased, and we come to a good conclusion.”

He said the parish has 42 days remaining for the investigation to take place.

Claudet added that a previous internal affairs investigation into the Houma Police Department “indicated no criminal activity or criminal conduct.”

Waitz’s letter to state police headquarters has been received; however, a decision on whether the action will be taken had not been decided as of press time.

There is no time frame for State Police Superintendent Col. Michael D. Edmonson to make a decision.

While the state police are often asked to serve as independent investigators in police matters, such requests do not usually involve a police chief or a department, according to Lt. Doug Cain, Louisiana State Police public affairs supervisor.

“Most of the requests we get from other departments are things such as officer-involved shootings or fleet crashes that involve other agencies,” he said. “We have on a few occasions investigated other departments. In our history, we have put a few police chiefs in jail. It’s certainly not a common occurrence, but it’s something we have done in the past.”

The allegations hanging over Boudreaux and the Houma Police Department have split many members of the force into pro-Boudreaux and pro-Duplantis factions, according to Waitz and Claudet.

Although Waitz said the divide has not affected the District Attorney’s Office ability to prosecute cases, he fears the atmosphere inside the department is not good to continue doing effective law enforcement.

“We have a lot of excellent officers who are in the Houma Police Department. We have some top-notch guys,” Waitz said. “It makes it difficult when you have these types of ongoing problems that haven’t been resolved.

“I don’t know who’s right or who’s wrong,” the district attorney added. “I just want this resolved. Whatever is right to happen needs to happen quickly.”

District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. is asking the Louisiana State Police to conduct an investigation into “any and all allegations they legally can” in response to recent months of in-fighting at the Houma Police Department. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF