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St. Landry Parish steps up efforts to combat littering
ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- The St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office is stepping up efforts to combat littering through a new initiative involving enhanced penalties and advanced technology.
In collaboration with Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser's office and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the sheriff's office aims to catch litterers more effectively. This initiative follows the parish government's move to expedite the fining process for littering offenses.
"Our littering issues here are humongous and it’s a cultural thing," said Major Mark LeBlanc of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office. "It is developed slowly over time by our inaction or our failure to act."
The partnership with state and local agencies has led to the implementation of sophisticated camera systems to monitor and catch individuals who litter. These technological advancements are part of a broader strategy to enhance enforcement capabilities.
LeBlanc emphasized the role of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
"Those men and women really took the ball and ran with it," he said. "And through working with the legislature, were able to enhance penalties to gain us additional time for enforcement in other critical areas."
In addition to technology, the initiative includes offering cash rewards for tips provided to St. Landry Parish Crime Stoppers. This approach not only aims to reduce littering but also encourages community involvement in maintaining a cleaner environment.
LeBlanc expressed hope that the success of this program could inspire similar efforts in other parishes.
"We’ve used the phrase, 'Stow it, don’t throw it,'" he said.
With these new measures, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office hopes to significantly reduce littering and set an example for other parishes to follow.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.