In Louisiana, the State
Civil Service Commission governs the affairs of classified employees –
those hired and fired according to standard merit standards – except for state
police (and cadets). The LSPC does that and essentially mirrors the SCSC in
membership – six appointees by congressional district by the governor, from
three choices provided by the presidents of state’s private colleges (each assigned
to one district), and a current trooper elected by his peers.
Last week, the body drastically
reduced punishments meted out to troopers who had violated policies during
an official trip last fall. They billed taxpayers for thousands of dollars in
improper overtime, which when that information emerged led to the departure of
former Superintendent Mike Edmonson.
The troopers claimed the much more severe punishments decided upon by current Superintendent Kevin Reeves, such as loss of rank, were an overreaction to the foibles of Edmonson, who they said encouraged their behavior. Like the LPSC members, the governor appoints the state police leader.
Presumed permission to engage in corrupt behavior
doesn’t ease culpability over something those involved should have known, if
not from ethics training at least from common sense. That the LPSC bought that
and ameliorated appropriate discipline that, as Reeves noted, significantly impacted
perceptions of his agency’s honesty lowers the LPSC’s stature further subsequent
to another flawed decision earlier this year.
In February, the LPSC considered a change
to its rules governing activities of troopers. It would have disallowed membership
in organizations that supported candidates for election, such as the Louisiana
State Troopers Association. This stemmed from the LSTA’s
top official acting as a conduit for improper donations made by former LPSC
members, who the law bans from any contributions (prior to their appointments,
current commissioners Jared Caruso-Riecke and Eulis Simien gave to Edwards).
Active-duty troopers also appeared to have used
the LSTA's chief as a donation pipeline as well, with some of that money going into Edwards’
campaign account. Edwards gave back the presumably tainted dollars and hired one
of his chief fundraisers to investigate that and the former commissioners’
donations, who issued a report about their activities but nothing about those
ascribed to troopers.
The LPSC took up the change just days after its
former director Cathy Derbonne sued
it. She claimed retaliation over these issues by the former board, largely
different from a year previous, against her that led to her firing.
Altering the rules actually doesn’t address such
shenanigans in the future, because the group didn’t authorize the passing
through (and officially it has donated only eight times) Yet officials with the
interest group complained that this new rule would put the group out of existence,
because apparently it would discourage trooper dues and without these it couldn’t
do anything.
Such an admission blatantly suggests the groups
functions as little more than a lobby, if not shadow union, for troopers. Why
the group simply couldn’t cease its political activities and concentrate on its
more philanthropic and fraternal tasks didn’t seem to come up.
Unanimously, the LPSC turned
down the change. With the Edwards Administration showing no inclination to
change matters, the pass-through scheme can continue to work, through the group
or otherwise.
The governor does have some leverage here. If he
meant adhering to the spirit of the laws, he could have told the two members he
has a chance to reappoint (all current appointive members are his) before the
end of his term he wouldn’t if they didn’t make the change, and the others if
he won reelection. But it seems he’d rather not anger the LSTA, who endorsed
him in 2015 after decades of staying out of gubernatorial races.
That attitude would explain why the LPSC not only
rolled over on that, but also why it might go easy on the travelling troopers. Keep
the rank-and-file happy who can express that consideration by giving to the
LTSA which then sends that along to politicians who maintain rules that
continue to give it influence. And even if the one who puts members on the LPSC
publicly appears to reject money laundered through the LTSA’s top staffer,
having the special interest as an ally to support his agenda can’t hurt.
Edwards nor his appointees won’t challenge a body
that tolerates creeping politicization surrounding the state police. The
Legislature may have to embarrass them into doing so by authoring legislation
to do what the LPSC won’t.
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