Administrative offices of Sheriff’s Office will be closed Friday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day

The administrative offices of the Sheriff’s Office will be closed Friday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day but will re-open Monday, Nov. 14.

Sheriff James Pohlmann expresses thanks and support for all those currently serving in our nation’s military and their families, as well as those veterans who previously served and their families.

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A man and a juvenile received minor wounds in shooting in Chalmette on Tuesday night; Sheriff’s detectives seek identity of shooter who fled in a black car;

A man and a juvenile male received minor wounds, one to a leg and one to a foot, in a shooting Tuesday night on a Chalmette street, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Sheriff’s detectives haven’t established a motive in the 8 p. m. shooting and are trying to identify the shooter, a man who fled north on De La Ronde Drive in a black car that had two red racing stripes, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Anyone with information should call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.

The victims, now living in Chalmette, said they were standing on South Philip Court near De La Ronde Drive when an unknown man in the black car pulled up, got out, and began shooting at them, the sheriff said.

Melvin Murphy, 34, and a 16-year-old male were wounded and taken to University Hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said. Murphy was wounded in the right calf and the juvenile was hit in the right foot.

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Five St. Bernard S.O. firearms instructors re-qualify as P.O.S.T. firearms instructors

Five St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office firearms instructors recently re-qualified as Peace Officers Standards and Training, or P.O.S.T., firearms instructors in sessions in Houma.

Two of the instructors, Agt. Tommy Duplessis and lead instructor Lt. Raymond Theriot, shot perfect scores in all courses of fire involving pistols, rifles and shotguns.

Shown, from left, are firearms instructors Duplessis, Det. Lt. Al Clavin, Lt. Raymond Theriot, Dep. David Culpeooer and Maj. David DiMaggioo.

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Sheriff Pohlmann invites residents to register for the free “Refuse to be a Victim’’ program being held Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m.; Hear expert advice on what type locks, alarm systems, timers.

Sheriff James Pohlmann is asking what could be more important than hearing free, expert advice on what type locks, alarm systems and lighting timers to use and other recommendations to protect your children, home and business from criminals.

Refuse to be a Victim – which Sheriff Pohlmann instituted in 2011 – is being held Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sheriff’s Office Training Center at 2118 Jackson Ave. in Chalmette, immediately behind the Parish Courthouse. It is in the same building as the Assessor’s Office.

To sign up, call Capt. Charles Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers at (504) 278-7799. The two coordinate the course.

Refuse to be a Victim is the most popular program the Sheriff’s Offices sponsors – with some 50 people taking the one-night class in December 2015.

You might look funny walking around your vehicle and peering inside while in a crowded parking lot at night but it could also keep you from getting inside and discovering a criminal is waiting there as you drive off.

That was one of the numerous tips Borchers and Eilers had for St. Bernard Parish residents who turned out last year for the Sheriff’s Office crime prevention program.

Borchers, longtime crime prevention director for the department, and Eilers engage participants and give tips on items such as locks, lighting timers and alarm systems recommended for use at homes and businesses and other strategies for being aware of your surroundings to avoid becoming a crime victim.

Borchers stresses in the course that, “You have to have a mental plan of action’’ at home or when traveling in order to be alert for potential criminals. Seminar topics include safety at home, as well as phone, technology, travel and personal security.

He recommends double cylinder deadbolt locks with large screws put an inch into a large, solid frame so a door can’t be easily kicked open.

Use strong locks and place peep holes on home doors, Borchers said. Light-timers, alarm systems, video surveillance and motion lights are all sound anti-crime strategies, he said.

Borchers and Eilers also go over various situations with participants, such as asking what they would do if they are home and someone comes to the door saying they have a package for them to sign for – but there isn’t a delivery truck outside.

Or what if a stranger comes to your door and asks to use a phone?

Register to hear their advice on these and other situations.

Refuse To Be A Victim is nationally recognized. It was developed in 1993 in response to requests from women nationwide for crime prevention seminars and became co ed in 1997. Thousands of men and women have benefited from the program’s message, which has been endorsed by members of the law enforcement community nationwide.

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