Sheriff’s Office registers its 1,000 location under the free Business Watch program which alerts owners to after-hours emergencies; No. 1,000 is across from No. 1;

Posted: June 26th, 2014 | Filed under: News Releases
A service station owned by Armand Serignan, second from the right, dates back to his father opening it in 1927 at 6544 St. Claude Ave. at Angela Street on the first block in St. Bernard Parish. The building is No. 1 on the Sheriff's Office registration of locations for the Business Watch program, which recently recorded No. 1,000, That is a new business called Studio Inferno, on the opposite corner and across St. Claude from Serignan's service station. Shown, from left in front of the station, are Lt. Billy Cure of Business Watch; Mitcehll Gaudet, who purchased the building that formerly housed the old Arabi movie theater and is now Studio Inferno; Sheriff James Pohlmann, Serignan and Capt. Charles Borchers, head of Community Relations which includes Business Watch.

A service station owned by Armand Serignan, second from the right, dates back to his father opening it in 1927 at 6544 St. Claude Ave. at Angela Street on the first block in St. Bernard Parish. The building is No. 1 on the Sheriff’s Office registration of locations for the Business Watch program, which recently recorded No. 1,000, That is a new business called Studio Inferno, on the opposite corner and across St. Claude from Serignan’s service station. Shown, from left in front of the station, are Lt. Billy Cure of Business Watch; Mitcehll Gaudet, who purchased the building that formerly housed the old Arabi movie theater and is now Studio Inferno; Sheriff James Pohlmann, Serignan and Capt. Charles Borchers, head of Community Relations which includes Business Watch.
In front of Studio Inferno, 6601 St. Claude Ave., which became No. 1,000 on the Sheriff's Office list of locations for the Business Watch program are, from left, sheriff's Lt. Billy Cure, Studio Inferno owner Mitchell Gaudet who recently moved his 23-year-old business from New Orleans to Arabi; Sheriff James Pohlmann, Armand Serignan, who owns a service station on the opposite corner across from Studio Inferno and is No. 1 on the Business Watch list; and Capt. Charles Borchers of the Sheriff's Office, who heads Business Watch.

In front of Studio Inferno, 6601 St. Claude Ave., which became No. 1,000 on the Sheriff’s Office list of locations for the Business Watch program are, from left, sheriff’s Lt. Billy Cure, Studio Inferno owner Mitchell Gaudet who recently moved his 23-year-old business from New Orleans to Arabi; Sheriff James Pohlmann, Armand Serignan, who owns a service station on the opposite corner across from Studio Inferno and is No. 1 on the Business Watch list; and Capt. Charles Borchers of the Sheriff’s Office, who heads Business Watch.

A small example of the glass and metal creations on display at Studiuo Inferno.

A small example of the glass and metal creations on display at Studiuo Inferno.


Armand Serignan, 74, has been working since age 12 at the service station his father opened in 1927 at 6544 St. Claude Avenue at the corner of Angela Street in Arabi, in the first block of St. Bernard Parish and one of its oldest operating businesses.

He doesn’t plan on relocating either his service station or home in Arabi. “I’m too old to go anywhere,’’ says Serignan, whose father was also named Armand. “I enjoy it. It’s not just a job to me.’’

Because of its location, Serignan’s station is No. 1 on the registration list the Sheriff’s Office keeps for its free Business Watch program, Sheriff James Pohlmann said. The program uses an identification decal system placed on a storefront for patrol deputies to use to call the Communications Division, which keeps the contact information in case of after-hours emergencies at a business.

Now, Serignan has a new neighbor in Studio Inferno and its owner Mitchell Gaudet, at 6601 St. Claude, on the opposite corner on the other side of the avenue at Angela.

Gaudet makes glass and metal creations there in a building he purchased which is best known to older St. Bernard residents as the former site of the Arabi picture show from the 1950s and early ‘60s.

Studio Inferno recently became No. 1000 on the Business Watch list of the Sheriff’s Office, which Sheriff Pohlmann said is an achievement for the department.

Gaudet, who moved his business to St. Bernard after establishing it in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans in 1991, said he is glad to be part of the Business Watch program and considers safety in St. Bernard to be one of the prime reasons he relocated, along with lower property taxes and a bright future for Arabi.

“I am excited” about being part of the business environment in St. Bernard, Gaudet said. “Arabi is on a huge rebound.’’

“I also like old buildings and the history of the movie theater’’ which existed in his building so many years ago, Gaudet said.

Sheriff Pohlmann said, “We like that our Business Watch program is growing and continues to be a quick and easy way for our officers to get contact information on a business in case of a problem after hours.” He added, “It’s to the advantage of a business owner to make sure they are registered in the free program.’’

To get registered, call Capt. Charles Borchers, head of Community Relations at the Sheriff’s Office, at (504) 278-7628 or Lt. Billy Cure, who deals directly with companies in the Business Watch program, at (504) 583-9840.

If a business has opened without getting registered, is changing locations, or if a decal on an established business has been torn off or defaced, make sure to get registered, the sheriff said.

The sheriff added that business operators can be assured the Sheriff’s Office will use contact information on the decal to reach them if they are needed to come out to secure their building.

“Reasons for us needing to reach someone after normal business hours,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said, “could include a burglary or act of vandalism discovered by a deputy on patrol, weather-related damage or perhaps an electrical outage that could affect a business’ perishable goods.”

St. Bernard, which had more than 2,500 businesses before Hurricane Katrina, has built back to the 1,000 mark.

Business Watch was created by the Sheriff’s Office in the 1990s, part of its crime prevention program.

Borchers said a deputy on patrol who comes upon a burglary or other type problem at a business, calls in the I.D. number to the Communications Division, which gets in touch with the business’ after-hours contact people. They may be asked to meet with the deputy at their business to take actions needed to secure the building, Borchers said.