The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s
Office (the “JPSO”) is a stand-alone governmental entity, separate and apart from
the Parish Council. The Sheriff’s Office
was originally created in 1825. The
Sheriff’s position is reaffirmed by Article V, Section 27 of the Louisiana Constitution
of 1974. The Sheriff is a separately
elected official elected by the citizens of the parish in a general popular election
every four years.
The JPSO is charged with
four main responsibilities:
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The JPSO has the responsibility of enforcing state and local laws and ordinances
within the territorial boundaries of the parish (i.e., general law enforcement).
The JPSO provides protection to its
citizens through on-site patrols, criminal investigations, community policing, etc.
While we have jurisdiction throughout
the parish, our efforts are focused primarily on the unincorporated areas of the
parish. Each of the six municipalities
in the parish maintains their own police force to cover their cities or towns.
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The JPSO also
administers the
Jefferson Parish Correctional Center
(i.e., the parish jail). This is a
1,200 bed facility located in
Gretna
on the Westbank of the parish. The
facility is owned and maintained by the parish; however, the JPSO provides the manpower
to run the facility.
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The JPSO exercises
civil process duties required by the various parish courts, such as providing bailiffs
to the court system, executing orders of the courts, serving subpoenas, seizing
property, administering garnishments in the parish, etc.
-
The Sheriff
of Jefferson Parish also serves as the “Ex-Officio” tax collector of the parish.
As such, the Sheriff is responsible
for the collection and distribution of ad valorem (property) taxes, sales and use
taxes, parish occupational licenses, state revenue sharing funds, fines and forfeitures,
costs and bond forfeitures imposed by the courts, etc.
Because of these responsibilities,
the JPSO is one of the most complex local governmental entities in the state.
Current staffing levels are just over
1,500 employees, with an operating budget in excess of $100 million.
See the section titled “Org
Chart” for more information on our organizational structure.
Also, see the section titled “JPSO Districts” for maps of our district boundaries.
The section titled “JPSO History” provides
a list of the Sheriff’s that have served Jefferson Parish and their years of service.
The “Fallen Officers” section provides
information on those officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
See the “Admin
and Financial” section for more details on the administration of our office and
for information on our operating budgets and financial statements.