St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office participates in Night Out Against Crime
St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office participates in Night Out Against Crime
On Tuesday night, Oct. 16, several hundred St. Bernard Parish residents from Arabi to the eastern end of the parish gathered to celebrate the National Night Out Against Crime.
Nearly two dozen parties were held in Arabi, Chalmette, Meraux and Violet. Some took place at homes, one was on the grounds of a Chalmette church, and another at a business in Old Arabi.
St. Bernard Sheriff’s deputies attended each event to give crime prevention tips and answer questions.
St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann visited a number of gatherings, conveying the message that it’s the people of St. Bernard Parish who keep it a safe place by backing law enforcement and by being willing to call the Sheriff’s Office if they see something suspicious in their neighborhood.
For the ninth year, the First Pentecostal Church of Chalmette has put out a bounce center for kids on their church grounds, opened their community room and thrown a party with food and refreshments for members and neighbors of the church to get together.
Pastor Otto Martin said the goal is to get people together to support one another and let them know they have something in common – wanting to live in a safe community.
At the church on the corner of Palmisano Boulevard and East St. Bernard Highway, Sheriff Pohlmann spoke to parents and children, congratulating the group for having such large participation each year.
The Sheriff said National Night Out Against Crime is a way for people with something in common – the desire to protect their neighborhood against crime – to get together and pledge to look out for each other’s property and safety.
Sheriff Pohlmann said if something doesn’t look right to you, call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501. It could help prevent a crime.
Capt. Charles Borchers, head of community relations and longtime Crime-Prevention and Neighborhood Watch director for the Sheriff’s Office, also spoke to the crowd about the importance of locking their car doors to deter criminals and he handed out reminder cards with the message.
National Night Out has been celebrated more than 30 years around the nation in August. Several local leaders in Southeast Louisiana opted in 2011 to move the event to October to escape the summer heat.
Sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, National Night Out Against Crime was introduced in 1984 to strengthen participation in local anti-crime efforts. The annual campaign involves more than 30 million participants, including residents, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses and members of the military.
St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann gets a warm welcome from some of his biggest fans during a National Night Out Against Crime party in Chalmette. 
Sheriff James Pohlmann hands out a some plastic deputy badges at a Night Out Against Crime party held at Patricia Park 
Sheriff James Pohlmann speaks with Violet resident Russell Banks at a Night Out Against Crime 
Sheriff James Pohlmann has a laugh with residents of St. Matthew Circle in Violet during a Night Out Against Crime party 
Dep. Mitch Perkins speaks with Clay and Marie Cosse at a Night Out Against Crime party held at Arabi Food Store on Friscoville Avenue in Old Arabi. 
Sheriff James Pohlmann speaks to residents of Old Arabi during a Night Out Against Crime party held at Arabi Food Store 
Sgt. Chris Scheeler, Lt. Stephen Ingargiola and Sgt. Eric Eilers, attended various Night Out Against Crime parties 
Some of the items St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office deputies handed out during various Night Out Against Crime parties held Oct. 16 throughout the parish included plastic deputy badges for children, keychains, and reminders about the importance of locking vehicles and not leaving items of value in plain sight to reduce the chances of being the victim of theft. 
Sheriff Pohlmann met two foreign exchange students who are attending CHS when he stopped by a Night Out Against Crime party held by Rosemary Gioia at her Chalmette home. With Sheriff Pohlmann are Ucha Marjanidze of France, left, and Luca Buettner from Germany, right.
St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office participates in mock car crash to show teens dangers of impaired driving and not wearing seat belts.
On Friday, Oct. 12, the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office joined forces with the St. Bernard Parish School System, as well as several other agencies, as they hosted “Consequence of Impact,” a mock car crash skit to show teens the impacts of impaired driving and making poor decisions like not wearing seat belts.
The event, held on St. Bernard Middle School’s football field, was presented to St. Bernard Middle eighth graders, as well as Chalmette High students in 10th through 12th grades.
Chalmette High School students acted out a fatal crash scenario in front of their peers, allowing the students to see first-hand how drinking, driving, and poor decisions affect everyone involved. Actors included Devin Cruice, Ronnie Prestenback, Scotty Thornton and Jaida Alphonso. Parents of the students also participated by playing parts in the scenario.
Deputies from the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Field Operations Bureau Traffic Division participated in the skit along with Louisiana State Police, St. Bernard Fire Department, St. Bernard Coroner’s Office, University Medical Center of New Orleans’ Level 1 Trauma Center, Acadian Ambulance, New Orleans EMS, St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home, Charbonnet Funeral Home, and DND Towing. Ashley Merritt provided the makeup for the student actors who portrayed the crash victims.
Citizens Police Academy’s 20th year (S.O.D.)
Citizens Police Academy’s 20th year (S.O.D.)
Capt. Bobby Norton, who oversees the Special Operations Division, center, speaks with Citizens Police Academy participants during this week’s gathering. With Capt. Norton, Lt. Daniel Bostic, left, and Lt. Brent Bourgeois, right.
Sgt. Chris Scheeler, of the Special Operations Division, shows Citizens Police Academy participants some of the equipment used by deputies. With Sgt. Scheeler, Agent Brian Canepa, center, and Dep. Skyler Rauch, right.
St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy participants were visited this week by members of the Special Operations Division and shown how to use a firearms simulator, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.
Members of the SOD, which includes the Special Weapons and Tactics team, or S.W.A.T. team, and the Bomb Squad, showed participants some of the equipment used by the division and discussed in what scenarios they would be used.
Citizens Police Academy participants use a computerized firearms training simulator designed to provide participants with various situations a real officer might face that would require them to make a split-second decision: shoot a criminal suspect or hold their fire.
Borrowed from Louisiana State Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Office, the computerized firearms training simulator was used to provide participants with scenarios of various situations a real officer might face that would require them to make a split-second decision: shoot a criminal suspect or hold their fire.
Two members of the class at a time were equipped with non-firing type guns as they viewed on a large screen scenario of what officers on a call might experience, such as a motorist pulling a weapon at a traffic stop, a domestic battery scene or even hostage situations. The participants with the mock guns were then called upon to decide whether or not they would use deadly force on a suspect.
Sheriff Pohlmann said the annual 10-week program is designed to provide residents with the opportunity to learn more about what the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office do on a day-to-day basis to keep their community safe.
This year’s program began Aug. 22 and will wrap up with a graduation ceremony on Oct. 24.
The course is coordinated by Capt. Charles Borchers and Sgt. Eric Eilers. For more information, call Capt. Borchers at (504) 278-7628.
St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy’s 20th year (F.O.B.)
Participants in the 20th session of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy were visited by members of the Field Operations Bureau Traffic Division and Criminal Investigations Bureau on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Sheriff James Pohlmann said the annual 10-week program is designed to provide residents with the opportunity to learn more about what the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office do on a day-to-day basis to keep their community safe.
Lt. Brent Bourgeois, of the Field Operations Bureau Traffic Division, spoke this week to participants about traffic-related issues, including the importance of wearing seatbelts, carrying automobile insurance, and obeying speed limits. He also talked about how the department holds sobriety and seat belt checkpoints several times a year to promote safety on the roads.
Members of the Criminal Investigations Bureau, Lt. Al Clavin, Sgt. Ryan Melerine and Detective Danny Carreras spoke about how criminal investigations are handled. They also stressed the importance of residents keeping their vehicles locked at all times and items of value out of plain sight in an effort to reduce their chances of being the victim of theft.
This year’s program began Aug. 22 and will wrap up with a graduation ceremony on Oct. 24. The course is coordinated by Capt. Charles Borchers and Sgt. Eric Eilers. For more information, call Capt. Borchers at (504) 278-7628.
Lt. Brent Bourgeois, of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Field Operations Bureau Traffic Division, left, speaks with a Citizens Police Academy participant during this week’s gathering.
Members of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau, from left: Sgt. Ryan Melerine, Lt. Al Clavin and Detective Danny Carreras, spoke at this week’s Citizens Police Academy class about how criminal investigations are handled and the importance of residents keeping their vehicles locked at all times.
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