The five-member committee that has been formed to look into the possibility of consolidating the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office is meeting this afternoon for the first time. Metro Councilman Joel Boé, who spearheaded an effort to form the committee, says the meeting will be largely “organizational” in nature. “I’d really just like to see us do some roundtable brainstorming and give all the members a chance to meet one another and set a game plan for going forward,” he says. Council members Tara Wicker and John Delgado are also on the committee, along with BRPD Sgt. Jonathan Dunnam and EBRSO Col. Lawrence McLeary, representing the law enforcement agencies. Boé says the committee will meet no less than once a month, and he anticipates today’s meeting will be the first of many. “This is going to be a long process, and it’s not going to be easy,” he says. Consolidation of the agencies would have to be approved by voters, and Boé notes the next parishwide general election is not scheduled until the fall of 2014. The committee could try to push for a special election before then, he says, but it might take until next fall to put together enough information for voters to make an informed decision. The committee convenes today at 2 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St., and the meeting is open to the public. —Steve Sanoski Read the full story here.
Today’s poll question: Has the recent firing of Baton Rouge Police Chief Dewayne White made you more inclined to support consolidation of the police department and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office?
