Captain Leland Anderson East Ascension Commander   Captain Dean Werner West Ascension Commander

Patrol is often called the backbone of law enforcement operations. This is not any different at the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s office.

 

Because the patrol division is so important to the security and well being of Ascension Parish, the sheriff felt it necessary to have two full time commanders for this unit: West Side Commander (Donaldsonville area) and East Side Commander (Gonzales area).

 

In most departments patrol officers account for up to two-thirds of all enforcement or "sworn officers” In the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s office we have sixty-four marked units responding to calls for service 24 hours a day seven days a week. In 2004 the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s office patrol units responded to 65,000 calls for service.

The patrol officer must be prepared for any imaginable situation and must perform many duties. A patrol officer may be called to deal with a robbery in progress on one call and to help rescue people from a burning vehicle on the next. Regardless of department size, all patrol functions have three parts: answering calls for help; maintaining a police presence for crime deterrence, and probing suspicious circumstances.

 

A major function for all law enforcement officers, but more suited to patrol officers, is to maintain a positive relationship between law enforcement and the community. Effective work by patrol officers can help reduce a citizen’s fear of crime, foster a sense of security in the community, and provide information about crimes and suspicious activities in the neighborhood. Patrol officers and Neighborhood Watch programs have been very successful in combating crime in Ascension Parish.

 

For a detailed look at crime in your neighborhood go to the Crime Statistics Section of this web site to locate your area on the crime map.