Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office year in review

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - 2019 was a busy year for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, but Sheriff Tony Mancuso says they saw some decreases in certain crimes.

“We had an 8% decrease in sex crimes, we had a decrease of about 17% in felony batteries, burglaries were down, residential burglaries were down 10%, felony thefts down 15%, vehicle burglaries down 13%,” Mancuso said.

He says they also saw a decrease in shoplifting by 11% and unauthorized use of a moveable was down 10%.

In February, an hours-old baby was found outside a local hospital.

In April and post-Barry, CPSO deployed its high-water vehicles after major flooding in the Lake Area making dozens of rescues.

Mancuso says in April alone there were 10 rescues from homes and 32 rescues from flooded roadways.

A months-long sex trafficking investigation ended in 10 arrests.

CPSO investigated 6 homicides this year.

Some of the major cases CPSO worked on this year involved 2 drownings, one in April off Dunn Ferry Rd at the West Fork Bridge and one in June at a mobile home park off Gulf Highway.

The Sheriff’s Office launched its Reality Check program: a day long class teaching teens things from changing a flat tire to how to handle a routine traffic stop.

“We got over 300 kids through that program," Mancuso said. "We are going to continue that program, it’s a great program. I think it is very beneficial for the kids in our community.”

In October, Mancuso was elected to his 5th term as Calcasieu Sheriff.

CPSO launched its Real Time Crime Center, Mancuso calling it the future of law enforcement.

“We only now need to build on that,” Mancuso said. “Right now we have a good foundation.”

In November, CPSO executed a warrant on the wrong house. Sheriff Mancuso personally issued an apology to the homeowners.

Mancuso says going into 2020, he wants CPSO to continue to focus on drug and alcohol abuse issues in the parish.

“We want to continue to aggressively fight the drug problem,” Mancuso said. “We find that’s usually at the root of many of the problems. I would urge people to not drink and drive. New Year’s night people are going to go out partying. Use a Lyft, Uber, a cab. It might cost $20 or $30, but if you look at the cost of if you get a DWI and that’s if that’s all that happened. That’s if you don’t cause an accident or anything and are charged with a more serious crime. I would urge people to be careful, think, and be safe.”

Yellow Cab of Lake Charles is giving 1,000 free taxi rides this New Year’s Eve if you need a ride home from festivities.

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