Archives: March2020

Governor Edwards issues Stay-at-Home order

Governor Edwards issues Stay-at-Home order

In an effort to further fight the spread of COVID-19, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has issued a “Stay-at-Home” order for the entire State of Louisiana effective Monday, March 23 beginning at 5 p.m.

Here is the full release from the Governor: https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/2427

SBSO_FB

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office participates in ‘Gunning for a Cure’

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office participates in ‘Gunning for a Cure’

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann was joined by a group of six St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office deputies and St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis to form a team for Gunning for a Cure held in early March at Stella Plantation in Braithwaite.

Gunning for a Cure is an annual sporting clays competition designed to raise funds for prostate cancer research. Proceeds from the friendly competition benefit Dr. Oliver Sartor's Prostate Cancer Research Fund at Tulane Cancer Center.

Joining Sheriff Pohlmann and President McInnis were: Col. Chad Clark, Capt. Brian Clark, Lt. Robert Broadhead, Lt. Ryan Melerine, Sgt. Gary Noriea, and Dep. Dusty Gould.

The event, which also featured live entertainment, food and beverages, auctions and raffles, aims to improve the health of men by discovering the means to treat prostate cancer, while ultimately aiming to develop a cure.

For more information about the annual event, visit gunningforacure.org

#sbso

SBSO_FB

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office asks residents to make payments online

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office asks residents to make payments online

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to help in the fight against spreading Coronavirus by paying sales or property taxes and citations online, rather than doing so in person.

“Although our annex located at #2 Courthouse Square in Chalmette is still open to the public at this time, we want to encourage residents who need to pay these bills to do so by using our website to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of our employees,” Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Residents can make these payments by visiting the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office website sbso.org and selecting the appropriate link located on the left hand side of the main page.

Only St. Bernard Parish sales and property taxes and citations issued in St. Bernard that individuals have NOT YET gone to court for can be paid on the website.

#sbso

SBSO_FB

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrest St. Bernard man

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrest St. Bernard man
in connection with undercover narcotics investigation

A St. Bernard man was arrested March 12 on narcotics charges following an undercover investigation conducted by the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division Narcotics Unit, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Jerome Ben, 42, of the 2100 block of Centanni Drive in St. Bernard, was booked with possession with intent to distribute ecstasy, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

After obtaining information through an anonymous source that Ben was involved in illegal drug activity in St. Bernard, Narcotics Unit agents conducted an investigation during which they witnessed Ben make a hand-to-hand transaction, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Based on their findings, agents obtained a search warrant for Ben’s residence.

When agents executed the search warrant, they recovered 253 ecstasy tablets with a street value of $6,325, 22 grams of cocaine with a street value of $2,200, and 15 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of $1,500, and drug paraphernalia.

Agents also recovered a Taurus .9mm firearm and $4,376 in cash, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Ben was transported to St. Bernard Parish Prison to be booked on the above charges.

A criminal history check was conducted on Ben, which revealed he has several prior drug convictions.

Sheriff Pohlmann reminds residents to call the Sheriff's Office narcotics hotline at (504) 271-DOPE or 3673 to report suspected illegal drug activity in St. Bernard Parish. Callers can remain anonymous, and all calls will be acted upon.

#sbso

SBSO_FB

Lt. Eric Eilers, of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Community Relations Divisio

Lt. Eric Eilers, of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Community Relations Division, recently visited with and read to Arabi Elementary School students in Ashley Nation’s class for Literacy Week.

#sbso

SBSO_FB

TROOP B NEWS RELEASE

TROOP B NEWS RELEASE
March 5, 2020

Is Your Child Safe in the Vehicle?
Free Car Seat Check Event

Jefferson Parish – The Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force will be conducting a free Car Seat check event on Saturday, March 7, 2020 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. The event will take place at Clearview Mall in the Target parking lot, 4500 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA 70006. No appointment is necessary.

It is a proven fact that car seats and booster seats save lives. Child safety seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash. However, approximately 3 out of 4 car seats are not used correctly. This misuse rate can be attributed to the wide variety of car seats available, the range of children’s weights and heights, and the vast array of vehicles in today’s market. These misuses span all races, educational levels, and socioeconomic status.

During the past 30 years, nearly 9,000 lives have been saved by the correct use of car seats according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is important that caregivers ensure children are properly restrained in an appropriate child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt anytime they are traveling in a vehicle.

Every Louisiana State Police Troop is recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a child safety seat “Fitting Station”. Technicians are available every Wednesday from 1 pm to 4 pm at Troop B to assist caregivers in the proper installation of their car seats. For a comprehensive list of all fitting stations across the state, please visit the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission’s website at:

http://www.lahighwaysafety.org/…/All%20Fitting%20Stations%2…

Contact Information:
TFC. Monroe Dillon
Louisiana State Police
Public Affairs Section
Office: (504) 471-2780
monroe.dillon@la.gov
www.lsp.org

#sbso

SBSO_FB

Sgt. Robert Garofalo named Deputy of the Year by Knights of Columbus

Sgt. Robert Garofalo named Deputy of the Year by Knights of Columbus

Each year, the Knights of Columbus Archbishop Rummel Council 5747 in Chalmette recognizes a local sheriff’s deputy, firefighter and paramedic of the year for their service to the residents of St. Bernard Parish.

Sgt. Robert Garofalo, a 20-year veteran of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office was named 2020 Deputy of the Year. Engineer Justin Sager, an 11-year veteran of the St. Bernard Fire Department, was named Firefighter of the Year; and Acadian Ambulance Paramedic Jay Authement, whose career spans 40 years, was named Paramedic of the Year.

The three first responders were honored during the St. Bernard Parish Council meeting held March 3 in the St. Bernard Parish Government Complex council chambers in Chalmette.

In addition to presenting the honorees with plaques, the Knights of Columbus and its Ladies Auxiliary also presented them with monetary donations.

Sgt. Robert Garofalo, a detective with the Criminal Investigations Bureau, began his career in law enforcement in 2000 as a member of the Corrections Division at the Parish Prison.

He graduated in 2002 from the Peace Officers Standards and Training police academy, and in 2003 he moved to the Field Operations Bureau’s Patrol Division. In 2009, Sgt. Garofalo became a detective with CIB where he has worked for the past 11 years.

Sgt. Garofalo’s daily duties as a full-time detective with CIB include being the primary investigator on crimes such as homicides, rapes, robberies and burglaries. In addition, he also takes on several added responsibilities for the department.

During the course of his career, Sgt. Garofalo has been awarded certifications in various fields of expertise, including interviewing and interrogation, crime scene investigations, radar, standardized field sobriety testing and crash reconstruction.

Sgt. Garofalo is a four-year member of the Special Weapons and Tactics team, or S.W.A.T. team, and serves as a certified crisis negotiator.

He is the only Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) drone pilot for the department. He maintains all of the software and equipment and keeps possession of the drone, which has assisted with the apprehension of several wanted individuals.

He recently completed a three-week course through the United States Secret Service's National Computer Forensics Institute in Hoover, Alabama which included network intrusion training and computer forensics.

Sgt. Garofalo also is currently assigned part time to two federal task forces, the FBI Joint Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team (JCARD) which responds to missing children anywhere in the metro New Orleans area, and the United States Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force which provides local agencies with technological assistance with crimes involving computers and cellular devices.

He also has surpassed any other detective in the department in the number of search and arrest warrants he has written. From January through November 2019, Sgt. Garofalo was responsible for writing and securing 52 warrants, many of which led to arrests.

Sgt. Garofalo’s dedication to public service is a family affair. His wife of five years, Sgt. Jennifer Dassau Garofalo, has worked for the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office for 11 years. She is a supervisor in the 911 Communications Center. They are expecting their first child in July.

#sbso

SBSO_FB