ST. LANDRY PARISH — GRAND COTEAU, La. — Confusion and tension surrounding a law enforcement funding program took center stage during a recent Grand Coteau town meeting, as officials questioned whether the program is active and who controls its funding.
“For 20 years, we’ve been running a LACE program. It was here to help the officers. We did well. I even pulled my paycheck stubs—since we haven’t had LACE, I’ve lost about $9,000. Nobody complained about it for 20 years. It was working just fine, and now all of a sudden, we’re losing money. We don’t make the money—we’re losing it because somebody has to have it," said assistant police chief Michael Buck who stormed out of the meeting.
The discussion focused on the Local Agency Compensated Enforcement (LACE) program, which is typically used to fund overtime pay for off-duty officers conducting traffic enforcement and other public safety efforts.
During the meeting, Police Chief Brad Randell, Mayor Patrick Richard and members of the town council debated whether the town is currently participating in the program — and if so, how it is being managed.
Councilwoman Gretchen Coco said the program was never handled through the district attorney’s office, suggesting the mayor would have authority over it.
“Since the LACE program was never done through the district attorney’s office, then the mayor has control over the program,” Coco said.
However, uncertainty grew as officials acknowledged they could not confirm whether a current contract for the program exists.
“I just found out today that we do not have a contract,” Randell said during the meeting.
The exchange became more contentious when officials disagreed on whether the LACE program operates as a grant.
“This was never a grant,” Coco said.
“The LACE program is a grant,” Randell responded.
“No, it’s not,” Coco replied.
“What program are we running?” Randell asked.
Mayor Richard said the program predates his time in office and admitted he is not fully familiar with its structure.
“The LACE program started way before I came into office,” Richard said. “When I came into office, I didn’t really look into what the program was.”
Richard also confirmed the town does not currently have a contract tied to the program.
“Right now, we do not have a contract with anybody, so there is a lot unknown about the LACE program that we have to figure out,” he said.
Randell raised further concerns, questioning whether the program is active at all.
“I actually don’t think the program exists now that we’re going over it,” Randell said. “I thought it did because our tickets show ‘LACE.’”
The uncertainty has raised broader questions about how funds tied to traffic enforcement are being collected and distributed within the town.
KATC reached out to Louisiana State Police regarding the LACE program. A spokesperson said the Local Agency Compensated Enforcement (LACE) program operates throughout Troop I but is organized on a parish-wide basis rather than by individual municipalities. LACE operations are currently active in St. Landry Parish.
State police also noted the agency has established policies governing troopers who participate in LACE details.
Since things are unclear regarding the program, Chief Randell decided to suspend it until further notice.
Councilwoman Gretchen Coco said she plans to make calls to determine whether the LACE program currently exists. KATC also reached out to the town attorney for comment, but the request was declined.
