ST. LANDRY PARISH — GRAND COTEAU, La. — After an hour of discussion Wednesday night, the Grand Coteau Town Council voted to reject a proposed traffic enforcement program and instead keep the town's existing LACE program in place.
Police Chief Brad Randell asked council members to approve P.A.C.E., or Public Accountability Citation Enforcement, saying the new program would provide greater accountability by creating a documented paper trail for traffic enforcement operations.
The proposal also would have increased overtime pay for off-duty officers writing traffic citations from $25 an hour to $45 an hour.
The proposal follows the chief's decision in April to suspend the town's LACE program. At the time, Randell said there was no paper trail or formal contract documenting how the program operated.
During Wednesday's meeting, Randell defended the proposal, saying the town needed a system that clearly documented how traffic enforcement revenue was generated.
"We can sit here and tell you we generated $300,000 for the town, but what we can't tell you is how, when, where, and that's the part we do not have," Randell said. "At the end of the day, you can say we do not have a paper trail because we do not, and that is what I am trying to do now."
Several residents, however, questioned whether the proposed program included enough structure to replace LACE.
Concerned resident Milton Arceneaux told council members he believes the existing LACE program has been successful in other municipalities and should remain in place rather than be replaced.
"LACE is used throughout many towns and municipalities. It exists," Arceneaux said. "It works, but it has to work with a system in place. It doesn't need to be replaced. It just needs to be worked efficiently."
Following public comment and council discussion, members voted against implementing the PACE program. Instead, the council chose to continue using the existing LACE program.
Alderman Ted Miller said any future changes should be left to the next administration following the upcoming election.
"Let's just keep LACE the way it is and let the next administration after the election deal with it," Miller said.
