Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) is the primary law enforcement agency of Ouachita Parish. It falls under the authority of the Sheriff, who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish.

Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office
AbbreviationOPSO
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionOuachita, Louisiana, United States
Map of Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction.
Size633 square miles (1,640 km2)
Population147, 250
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersMonroe, Louisiana
Agency executive
Website
http://www.opso.net/

The Sheriff

The sheriff of Ouachita Parish is Jay Russell. Sheriff Russell was sworn in as Sheriff of Ouachita Parish on July 1, 2012. He has had 28 years of law enforcement experience, beginning with the OPSO at the Ouachita Correctional Center under Sheriff Laymon Godwin. He then moved to the Patrol Division and was later promoted to corporal, becoming a Field Training Officer. Sheriff Russell has also served as a patrol officer for the West Monroe Police Department and the Farmerville Police Department.[1]

Facilities

The Sheriff's Office operates the following facilities:

  • Headquarters - The headquarters building is located at 400 Saint John Street in Monroe.
  • Ouachita Correctional Center - The Ouachita Correctional Center (OCC) is located at 4801 U.S. 165 in Monroe. Opened in 1963, the OCC presently houses a maximum of 1,062 offenders, and employs 124 full time deputies.[2]

Fallen officers

Since the formation of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office, six deputies and one Sheriff have been killed in the line of duty. The most common cause of line of duty deaths to date is gunfire.[3]

Officer Date of Death Details
Deputy Sheriff James W. Wood
Friday, March 12, 1869
Gunfire
Sheriff John H. Wisner
Wednesday, March 30, 1870
Gunfire
Constable W. C. Fitzgerald
Tuesday, March 12, 1878
Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff J. W. Edwards
Wednesday, May 29, 1895
Gunfire (Accidental)
Deputy Sheriff S. Baxter Willis
Thursday, June 20, 1895
Gunfire (Accidental)
Corporal Clovis Wayne "J.R." Searcy, Jr.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Justin Levi Beard
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Automobile crash

See also

References
  1. "Administration Division". Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  2. "Ouachita Correctional Center". Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  3. Officer Down Memorial Page

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