LAFAYETTE, L.a. — The Lafayette Fire and Police Civil Service Board could revisit a request to investigate a matter within the police departments.
"We want to give the police department every opportunity to make sure that the complaint is satisfied for Mr. Lunsford before we take any action on it."
That's what Paul Mouton, Civil Service Board chairman, had to say about the board's stance regarding the potential investigation of Captain Michael Brown under former Lafayette Police Department Chief Thomas Glover's administration.
Political operative Michael Lunsford said his team has been looking into allegations of Brown's use of "intimidation" tactics while on the job, trying to shine a light on what he called the good and bad players. They're currently reviewing documents and body-cam footage involved in the pair of complaints against Brown.
"It's been since January that this has started, uh, here we are in October, we've deferred now till November, so, is he a bad player? You know, the documents will tell when the time comes," Lunsford said. "Just like anywhere, there's good players, there's bad players. You know, if there's a bad player, I think the public needs to know about it. I think the police department needs to take appropriate action."
These documents, Lunsford added, can take up to 30 days to receive after requesting, which is a major reason why he agreed to let the police and fire departments continue to look into it during the first board meeting since former Chief Glover was fired.
Lunsford noted that he is optimistic about the LPD's future — specifically with Interim Chief Wayne Griffin taking the reigns in his new position.
"He knows the local players, he knows who the good guys and the bad guys are, so I think that brings a different level of involvement."
Mouton told KATC that while the Civil Service Board has the ability to conduct investigations, historically they follow the chain of command and due process by passing the torch to the police and fire departments. He said the board plans to revisit the potential investigation during a meeting scheduled for November 10.
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