Sheriff Jason Smith Speaks to Northshore Business Council

On Wednesday, April 16, Sheriff Smith attended the Northshore Business Council Luncheon along with a small group of representatives from Washington Parish, including Parish President Ryan Seal, several members of the Parish Council, and two Chiefs from the Sheriff’s Office.

The Northshore Business Council Luncheon brings together local business owners and government officials to share information and collaborate on positive economic growth in the Tri-Parish area. Attendees included St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith, and Major Alex Richardson of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Speaking to the group of about 45 members, Sheriff Smith said, “Washington Parish is going through a transformation right now. In the past, the status quo was Politics over Professionalism, but we’re working on changing that as we grow along with our neighbors to the South and West.”

“We have all the same problems as they do in St. Tammany and Tangipahoa as far as substance abuse and crime, and we’re starting to deal with these problems with an eye toward the future so that the conditions are set for healthy and sustainable growth. Everyone in Washington Parish can feel the changes happening around them, people and businesses moving in, and providing safety and peace for the community is a big piece to that puzzle.”

When asked about the Sheriff’s Office’s involvement in Bogalusa, Sheriff Smith said, “I think Bogalusa is suffering from the same problems as a lot of other industrial Midwest towns whose footprint has gotten smaller in the last few generations. Moving forward, we’re doing what we can to include Bogalusa in the growth that the rest of the Parish is experiencing and working closely with the Bogalusa Police Department to provide safety for the people who live there.”

Sheriff Smith also provided updates on the new 911 Dispatch Center in Sheridan, set to be fully operational by the end of the month, and on the status of his plans to construct a much-needed new Washington Parish Jail facility.