Inauguration ceremonies were held Monday morning for the new Vermilion Parish Sheriff.
VERMILION PARISH, La. (KLFY) – Inauguration ceremonies were held Monday morning for the new Vermilion Parish Sheriff.
The day was kicked off with a mass at St. Mary Magdalene Church then the swearing-in was done. "I'm excited about this. It's a whole new chapter for me. Whole new chapter for them and we're going to make Vermilion Parish great,” said Sheriff Eddie Langlinais.
Sheriff Langlinais brings in over 40 years of law enforcement experience and his senior staff adds over 125 years of experience in law enforcement. He said he is ready to get started on combating illegal drug activity with the Real-Time Crime Center which will be called the investigative support unit. “That’s going to be to combat drug illegal activity throughout the parish, not just for Abbeville, but throughout the parish. It’s going to help investigators solve crimes quickly,” he said.
Donald Washington who was the emcee of the ceremony, but is known as the former director of the United States Marshals Service, said there are three important rules to remember for law enforcement. “Number one, we are leaders, period. Now, that means different things to different people. But when you put your hands on someone, you are still a leader, and at the end of the day, that person needs to recognize that you're the leader and you treated him fair,” he said. “The number one rule is to love one another. It’s as simple as that. From that rule, you will find every one of the other attitudes and characteristics and nouns that you have that you can possibly have to describe how you should behave, how you should think about people, how you react from compassion to competence to communications, to friendship, to all the things that you need to do.”
Number two is to take the high ground and keep it.
“From a philosophical standpoint as law enforcement officers, as politicians and political leaders take the high ground and keep it. That means you have to dig down inside of yourself and come up with who you are and how you should behave at this point in time right now if something is in front of you. Don’t give up the high ground by doing something that you will be very embarrassed with and not be so very proud of,” said Washington. “Number three, this is for the men and women of the department that Eddie is about to take over. I got your six. How many times have you told someone or heard someone say, I got you back? And how much did that mean to you at the time, those three rules are the things that I figure that will carry you through no matter who you are, whatever you're doing in any aspect of life.”
Washington adds the office of Sheriff is one of the most, if not the most important offices in the country. “There are about 3800 sheriffs in the country. 98% of them are elected and that means that you're the only law enforcement officer that is accountable directly to the people and not to an administration as a general rule,” he said.
"A special thanks go to my mom and my dad,” said Sheriff Langlinais as he got emotional thinking of his father who is no longer here.
He credited his wife who has been on the three-year journey with him to become sheriff. “Who was at every event by my side? The one who, when I was frustrated and down because of a bad day, would pick me back up and keep me going,” he said. “My campaign secretary, my campaign finance clerk, my campaign organizer, and my campaign shoulder to cry. But most of all, my confidant, my partner, my best friend, my wife.”
Also, his senior staff who he said is the “best staff ever.”
“I don't think I could have picked a better senior staff to help and guide me through this,” said the sheriff. “I know that I'm not running this thing by myself. It takes multiple people and it takes people like them and people like the public to help push us forward in doing the right thing.”
“When you're the sheriff, you think you know everything, but you don't know everything and it's good to have a chief deputy that to go to and talk to and say, Am I doing the right thing? And I think Eddie made a wise decision in picking you,” said Couvillon to Langlinais’ chief deputy.
He adds, “When a person comes up to you and brags about your children. It makes you feel really well. Well, from this day on, every time somebody comes to your office and brags to you about your deputies, you're going to feel just like you did with your children,” he tells Langlinais.
Furthermore, credit to the former sheriff Mike Couvillon was given as he was honored with several awards to commemorate his law enforcement career and service to the parish. A plaque was given to go to the law enforcement training center in the back.
“Sheriff Mike A. Couvillon Vermilion Parish sheriff July 1st, 2004 to June 30th, 2024. Louisiana Sheriff’s Association President 2017 to 2018. In recognition and gratitude for our distinguished leadership, steadfast courage, devotion to duty, and unbowed dedication to the ideals of Louisiana's chief law enforcement officer,” read Sheriff Langlinais.
Another award with signatures from those within the Sheriff’s office to let him know how much of an impact he had.
While the journey has been long Sheriff Langlinais, said “I assure the people of Vermilion Parish that then you made the right choice. I am the person for the job. I am the most qualified.”
