The Lake Charles Police Department will soon have unlimited access to employees and technology designed to help solve crimes at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.
During its July 15 meeting, the Lake Charles City Council unanimously voted to fund two employee positions at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Real Time Crime Center.
Lake Charles City Administrator John Cardone said that the partnership is important because crime does not recognize jurisdictional boundaries.
“From routine calls for service and joint investigations to securing large-scale events like Mardi Gras, the Lake Charles Police Department and the Sheriff's Office work together every day to keep our community safe,” Cardone said. “This agreement strengthens that partnership by dedicating personnel to support Lake Charles Police Department investigations through the Real Time Crime Center, an invaluable resource that provides timely intelligence and investigative support.”
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Gary “Stitch” Guillory said that when they started the Real Time Crime Center in 2018, it was following a new trend for police departments.
"It started off as very small, just some people in the room with a computer and a desk,” Guillory said. “Now it's evolved into a full-fledged real-time crime center where there's video screens up on the wall and mapping and basically they just track crime as it occurs in real time and assist where they can assist with our patrol deputies.”
The Real Time Crime Center has two major functions: improving officer safety and investigative leads. The employees of the center monitor all calls for service as soon as they come in.
“The unique thing about the crime center now that they're popping up all over the state is everybody's willing to help each other and lend a hand because we're all doing the same thing,” Guillory said. “Criminals are more mobile today than they've ever been. The same people that are coming here and committing crime are committing crime all across the state. We've never had the tools in law enforcement to tie those together like we do now with the real-time crime center.”
In 2025, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted 1,822 outside agencies and contributed to 283 arrests and 222 property recoveries.
Guillory said that two new positions will give the center the ability to push out more information to help solve crimes.
“When we built a real-time crime center, that's what we envisioned, all departments coming together and having a hub where all this information can come to and get sent out,” Guillory said. “Basically that's kind of what we're doing because the information that we have in our real-time crime center is not just for sheriff's deputies. We push it out to everybody, which is a plus.”
Cardone said that the new positions will cost the city approximately $75,000 annually per position and will go into effect once finalized by all parties.
Lake Charles District G City Council member Matthew Vezinot said that he believes the partnership is a very good deal for the city.
“We're going to have access to that center on an absolute basis, not whenever they have time,” Vezinot said. “We're going to have dedicated spots, and we're only paying for two salaries. We're only reimbursing for two salaries; 24 hours a day, seven days a week takes more than two salaries.”