My Position on a Mayor’s Court

Let me be clear about something.

Though it is not in the Chief's authority to establish, I support the concept of a Mayor’s Court. Local ordinance violations need to be handled locally. A Mayor’s Court provides a lawful, structured way to address traffic violations and municipal code issues without overburdening parish or district courts. When done correctly, it’s about accountability and order. Not punishment. And certainly not profit.

But I also oppose the way some people want to use it.

A Mayor’s Court must never become a revenue engine for government. And I will say this as strongly as I possibly can:

No police department should ever depend on money generated from tickets to fund its operations. Ever.

Tying police funding to citation revenue creates a dangerous incentive structure. It erodes public trust. It invites abuse. It shifts the focus from public safety to profit generation.

That is not policing. That is not integrity. And that is not leadership.

Funding a police department with court-generated revenue is like purchasing scratch-off lottery tickets to pay your mortgage. It’s unstable. It’s irresponsible. And eventually, it collapses.

Public safety must be funded through stable, predictable, voter-approved revenue sources, not fluctuating citation numbers. Police officers should never feel pressure, direct or indirect, to write tickets because the budget depends on it. In Louisiana, ticket quotas are illegal for a reason. When government begins to rely on fines to sustain itself, priorities get distorted.

A Mayor’s Court should exist to uphold the law fairly and consistently, not to bankroll a department.

If I am elected Chief, I will oppose any funding model that ties the operational stability of the police department to fines, fees, or court revenue. That is a line I will not cross.

Our officers deserve integrity.

Our citizens deserve trust.

And our budget deserves discipline.

Public safety is too important to gamble with.