Although many people think of a Sheriff's Office as dealing strictly with criminals, in reality the Allen Parish Sheriff's Department is a complex organization of dedicated people who supply a multitude of services to the general public. Below listed are many of the day-to-day functions of our department. - Louisiana's State Constitution makes the Sheriff the Chief Law Enforcement Officer and the Ex-Officio Tax Collector for the parish.
- The Sheriff as Ex-Officio Tax Collector for Allen Parish is responsible for the collection and distribution of the ad valorem taxes assessed yearly against all property in Allen Parish. Other duties include the collection and distribution of State Revenue Sharing, which is a partial reimbursement from the state for homesteaded property in the parish, and Federal Revenue Sharing, which is a reimbursement from the federal government for the taxes on the property of the West Bay Wildlife Management Reserve located in Allen Parish.
- The Sheriff's Department is responsible for the collection and distribution of court fines & cost imposed by our Thirty Third Judicial District Court and of the payments of the traffic tickets issued by our own deputies and the LA State Police.
- The Sheriff's Department is responsible for the service, and the return to the courts thereof, of subpoenas, citations, and other court orders. The Sheriff may be ordered by the court to seize and sale movable and immovable property at a public auction. The Sheriff is also responsible as ordered by the courts, for the collection and distribution of all garnishments on wages for unpaid debts.
- We are accountable to the legislative auditor for all monies received and distributed by our department. All expenditures are strictly monitored. An annual audit is preformed on all accounts of the Sheriff's Department.
- The Sheriff's Department investigates felony and misdemeanor crimes and forwarding the results of those investigations to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution.
- The Sheriff's Department assists the Oakdale Police Department, Oberlin Police Department, Kinder Police Department, Elizabeth Police Department, Reeves Police, LA State Police, LA Fire Marshall's Office, LA Child Protection Agency, LA Dept. Of Wildlife & Fisheries, and other agencies in their investigations.
- Our deputies respond to alarms, family disturbances, and bar fights.
- Many times we are the first at the scene of accidents, ready to render aid and to get any other help needed as quickly as possible. We also assist in the management of Fire scenes by working in conjunction with the Fire Districts in the parish.
- The Sheriff's Department stands ready to assist Home Land Securities in case there is a need for evacuation in crisis or disaster situations. We also participate in the facilitating of the parish management plans in times of crisis in our parish as put forth by our Homeland Security Director.
- The Sheriff supplies bailiffs to the Thirty Third Judicial District Court when in session in Allen Parish.
- For every incident, disturbance, or major investigation there is paperwork, and we are very proud to say through modern technologies that our records are complete and up to date.
- We deliver emergency and death messages, and provide traffic control and escort for bereaved families during funeral services.
- The Sheriff is responsible for the operation of the Allen Parish Jail, which houses approximately 40 pre-trial inmates. The Allen Parish Sheriff's Department Correctional Division is located at 427 Court Street Oberlin, LA.
- Our deputies transport prisoners and mental patients to prisons and hospitals throughout the state.
- The Sheriff is responsible for the education of the youth of our parish and has put forth a program which has had outstanding results in our communities, The Allen Parish D.A.R.E. program has educated the youth of our parish for the past 25 years and will continue to do so from here on out.
- We provide assistance for the LA Crime Victims Notification Program, a program designed to notify victims of crimes defined in R.S. 14:2(13) of the status of the crime from arrest to prosecution.
- We provide assistance for the LA Crime Victim Reparation Program, a program designed to assist victims in obtaining reimbursement from the State of Louisiana for certain expenses incurred as a result of a violent crime.
- Our department is responsible for the registration of convicted sex offenders that reside in Allen Parish and provides information to the public for the location of the offenders through the LA Sex Offender Notification and Registration System.
- The Sheriff also operates the R-U-Okay Program for the entire parish which is an automated system which calls the elderly persons in our communities and checks to see if they are okay, but in the event that a proper response is not given a deputy is dispatched promptly to check on that person.
- The Sheriff also participates in a program known as A CHILD IS MISSING which is a program funded by a grant which provides a service available to the Sheriff’s office in which if a child, elderly person, a student from a school, or a runaway is missing in the area we are able to notify within a matter of seconds people in a on mile radius from the last known location to be on the lookout for that person and a contact person for this.
The list includes a large part of what we do. As to who we are, we are people who have made a conscious decision to spend this part of our lives in a profession of service to the public; a profession where mistakes are non-forgiving and can mean loss of life, and where rewards are great and satisfaction is fulfilling. More than a uniform, more than a badge and gun, our job is an attitude which says with pride, we are here "To Serve and To Protect".
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