Goyeneche says many police chiefs and sheriffs provide the badges or ID cards to political allies of friends in their departments.

“If you work for a sheriff and you pull someone over for a violation, a traffic violation of any kind, and they issue or show you the badge that was given to them by their boss, the inference is that you shouldn’t . You should let them go, and that puts the officer in an untenable position,” he said.

The findings of the investigation

A series of Fox 8 records requests found that at least eight law enforcement agencies have given non-employee or honorary commissions. Those agencies offered hundreds of commissions to people who were not active duty officers.

The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office alone provided Fox 8 with records of more than 100 non-employee commissions.

Fox 8 requested an interview with Sheriff Gerald Turlich to discuss the commissions, and a Plaquemines Parish spokesperson said to check his schedule. However, the spokesperson stopped responding to subsequent emails.

Other departments turned in lists of notable figures from the New Orleans area.

Algiers Second Constable’s Office gave badges to Congressman Troy Carter and Jefferson Parish Councilman Byron Lee.

Lt. Constable Jordan Lombard, in a statement, said the bureau provides badges of honor to individuals who serve the bureau as a community policing officer in Algiers.

Lombard declined an interview but explained that the badges are memorials to both Carter and Lee, who helped with a number of community events.

A spokesman for Carter called the badge ceremonial and honorary, saying it is kept in a shadow box.

Lee did not respond to a request for an interview.

St. Parish Sheriff’s Office records. Tammany reports Sheriff Randy Smith has made former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen an honorary deputy sheriff. Allen was one of Smith’s 11 non-employee commissions.

After initially telling Fox 8 to go back to check Smith’s schedule, a spokesperson for the office stopped responding and wouldn’t explain Allen’s commission. However, when Fox 8 asked for an updated list of commissions, Allen and most of the other commissions were gone.

The Saints declined to comment.

Transparency and Regulation

Goyeneche argues that badges should be reserved for trained law enforcement officers, and memorabilia can come in other forms.

“So if those people were friends with the sheriff, then let him issue a certificate. Let him write her a letter. Don’t give him a badge. Don’t give him an ID because I think that does a disservice to the men and women who go through the training and have earned the right to wear those badges,” he said.

Tangipahoa Parish and St. Parish Sheriff’s Offices. Bernard recently reduced their use of non-employee commissions.

Recently elected Sheriff of Tangipahoa Parish Gerald sticker said he inherited more than 600 commissions from his predecessor Daniel Edwards. Those commissions expired when Sticker took over. Sticker’s new list includes just 42 people, including retired and reserve deputies, chaplains and assistant prosecutors.

Parish President Robby Miller is on the sticker list. Sticker said this allows Miller to access major incidents immediately.

“It just allows them easy access to the scenes to help us without them being stopped,” Sticker said.

Fox 8 obtained records from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office that showed 86 different commissions for non-employees. When Fox 8 requested an updated list in September, a spokesman said Sheriff James Pohlmann had not renewed any commissions.

The office sent a statement that read in part:

“Each new term provides an opportunity to evaluate different department programs, and at this time the sheriff has not yet made a decision on renewing the non-employee commissions in their current format.”

Goyeneche said shedding light on the non-employee commission process is making a difference. Ultimately, he said, the culture surrounding non-employee commissions won’t change without statewide regulation.

“I think what I would like to see happen is, you know, the law enforcement community recognizes that, you know, this is bad policy,” he said.

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