Lafayette mayor-president: Sheriff, police conflict factored into asking Chief Aguillard to resign
LAFAYETTE, La. (Andrew Capps/The Advertiser)- A strained relationship between Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mark Garber and former Police Chief Toby Aguillard factored into Mayor-President Josh Guillory’s decision to ask the chief to resign, Guillory said Thursday.
Guillory said he asked for Aguillard’s resignation after meeting with leadership in Lafayette’s Police Association on Dec. 12, The Advertiser reported.
Aguillard said Guillory asked him to resign or face firing once the new mayor-president took office.
At the time, Aguillard said he would fight any potential firing, but Monday during Guillory’s swearing in ceremony, Aguillard announced his resignation.
Guillory previously had declined to discuss reasons for asking Aguillard to resign, and avoided questions on his motivations after Aguillard’s announcement Monday. But he addressed the issue Thursday.
“Part of my decision making process was a significant hit to the relationship between the police department and the sheriff’s department,” Guillory said during the first of his new weekly call-in radio shows on KPEL radio. “And it’s not the actual boots on ground, it’s not the patrol officers out there. That was a leadership issue. I have no problem with saying that.”