by Wesley Harris
Ruston Police Chief Eric Watson outlined over a dozen advancements or new initiatives at the agency since he took office in March at a “Chat with the Chief” last Monday evening.
Watson, who served as a RPD patrol officer in the mid-nineties before leaving for a 25-year career with the Drug Enforcement Administration, summarized his law enforcement career as he opened the fourth such meeting open to the public.
After retiring from the DEA and returning home to Caddo Parish, Watson heard Ruston was looking for a new top cop after the retirement of Steve Rogers. While the family was interested in moving to Ruston based on his earlier stint at RPD, Watson first shrugged off others who encouraged him to apply.
Watson came around, applied, survived the competitive evaluation process, and was selected by Mayor Ronny Walker and City Council to lead the department.
The chief spent significant time describing RPD’s staffing shortage and the challenge of finding good men and women to hire. At 48 total employees, RPD is no larger than it was when he first worked in Ruston 30 years ago.
“That’s not sustainable,” Watson said, citing population growth, Ruston’s building boom, and the rise of police calls. He said West Monroe, a city smaller than Ruston, has double the officers Ruston has.
Watson said the issue is not money but finding the right people. He said he does not hire based on what applicants look like, but is searching for those who communicate and can do the job effectively while striving for a positive interaction with the public as often as possible.
RPD has 48 total employees with only 24 patrol officers available currently to staff four shifts. Watson said in the not-so-distant future, RPD will need ten officers per shift to perform effectively.
Among the new initiatives and strategies Watson said had come to RPD since his hire were:
Chaplain Program was established with a staff member recommended for his strong faith. The program has evolved into a broader peer support group, especially for officers experiencing critical incidents.
Public Information Officer was reinstituted to address a perceived lack of transparency expressed by some members of the public and the news media.
Lieutenant Kayla Lloyd was appointed and is responsible for media releases, social media updates, and transparency outreach to help build trust with the community.
Leadership Appointments Two new deputy chiefs now oversee day-to-day operations following competitive testing. Both Dylan Castaneda and Ben Thomas previously served as RPD sergeants. Watson said he believes the two will provide the leadership and accountability to move RPD forward. Castaneda is responsible for Patrol, Criminal Investigations, and the Communications Center. Thomas will handle of number of logistical issues such as equipment, grants, policy development, and purchasing.
Lieutenant Markel Canty was appointed director of patrol. Canty has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. Lieutenant Lloyd has also been assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in partnership with the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General.
Citizens Police Academy will launch September 16. The five-week program for citizens who want to learn more about how RPD works will meet one evening per week to cover various aspects of police work and department functions to increase community engagement.
Business Leader Liaison has been appointed by Watson. Russ Thompson, a reserve officer with a law enforcement background, will seek networking opportunities and expand partnerships with local businesses. Watson said the purpose of the liaison is to build a proactive relationship with businesses before incidents occur. Watson also wants to lay the groundwork for involving businesses in his proposed real-time intelligence center.
Real Time Intelligence Center is a concept Watson wants to bring to Ruston, and some funding has already been acquired. He described it as transformative for the department and the community. An RTIC integrates license plate readers, business/school/private security cameras, police in-car cameras and body-worn cameras to allow real-time remote incident monitoring. Watson describes the RTIC’s benefits as faster response times to crimes, crime deterrence, easier collection of data to solve crimes, and increased effectiveness in handling major incidents.
Chief Watson described a school shooting as an example of the center’s value. Before officers ever reach the scene, staff in the RTIC can see inside the facility through the school’s camera system and then serve as a backup to officers by viewing body-worn cameras. He touted the concept as a way to save lives and solve cases.
Officer Training develops empowerment, professional growth, improved team cohesion, Watson said. He has exhausted the budgeted funds for this fiscal year by beefing up training and is awaiting the new budget year to continue important educational efforts. The chief said the staff is hungry for increased training.
Directed Patrol Unit was created to proactively focus on emerging crime trends. Officers working the DPU detail focus solely on the current crime issue such as vehicle burglaries or disturbances at downtown bars. Scheduling is designed to have officers work when the crimes are likely to occur.
DWI Checkpoints and Patrols. After a hiatus of over a decade, patrols specifically to apprehend impaired drivers have returned to Ruston. Watson said the focus of announcing the sobriety checkpoint dates is to emphasize deterrence over arrests.
Procedural Adjustments. Watson said a formal announcement will be made soon that RPD will no longer take reports on “fender bender” parking lot accidents, citing the inordinate amount of time these calls take from the already short-staffed department. Instead, officers will respond and provide a form for drivers to exchange with one another that captures information they can forward to their insurance companies. Watson said the aim of the policy change is to free up officer time for priority calls.
Watson noted traffic enforcement is important, and officers can work an overtime program called “Safe Driver” to enhance traffic safety. Watson emphasized, however, that he has told officers tickets are not a revenue device but one of several tools to consider to correct motorist behavior. He said aggressive enforcement will continue for major violations like speeding 15 miles over the limit, DWI, and other dangerous driving.
Cold Cases. The chief said RPD does not have a cold case unit but that he is personally ensuring follow-up on cold cases and missing person cases. He has tasked investigators with a commitment to detailed communication with families in those cases and describes the agency’s new emphasis on unsolved cases of homicide or missing person as a new leadership direction. RPD is cooperating with a Lincoln Parish Journal effort to publicize these open cases through a series of articles.
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