Voters in Scott will decide whether they want to keep Police Chief Chad Leger or replace him with challenger Brian Harper.
Both Harper and Leger are Republicans, vying to be Scott’s top cop.
Harper is a veteran and has 12 years experience in law enforcement. Harper says if elected, he wants to create a working narcotics unit.
“I’ve worked during hurricanes; I’ve worked natural disasters; I’ve been deployed in Iraq,” Harper said. “I want to use all of that experience and help the citizens of Scott.”
Leger has nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience with 16 of those years as Scott’s police chief. He says he’s proud of his department’s advances: body camera, cameras in units and the Emergency Services Center, which houses Scott police and fire departments.
“It’s not just a job. It’s personal for me,” said Leger. “It’s a personal thing for me to make sure the quality of life that I had is continued for every resident, business and everyone in our city.”
Both Harper and Leger say community policing is key to ensuring low crime rates.
“I want this department to be as transparent and open and honest as possible,” Harper said. “I also want that relationship with other agencies outside of Scott. I want us to all work together and provide a safer community for the citizens of Scott.”
Leger said, “The last six years, the City of Scott, according to the FBI Crime Reports we submit , we’ve ranged anywhere from number 2 to number 8 out of the safest cities in the state of Louisiana. Due to our low crime rate, with over 300 municipalities, that speaks to the hard work our men and women put in everyday they come to work.”
They also say the department needs to retain employees and recruit more officers.
Harper said, “The turnover rate is a problem, not just because of pay, but because of the administration. I want to change that, and I want these guys to stay.”
Leger said, “We want to expand our patrol division, our investigative division, to make sure we can properly serve the people of Scott.”
Election Day is November 6.
