The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office (EBRSO) is the primary law enforcement agency of East Baton Rouge Parish, and has jurisdiction anywhere in the parish. It falls under the authority of the sheriff, who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish. The sheriff's office employs approximately 850 deputies, making it one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the state of Louisiana.
The sheriff of East Baton Rouge is Sid Gautreaux III. Sheriff Gautreaux was sworn into office as sheriff on December 4, 2007. He served the sheriff's office as a sergeant in uniform patrol and served as the chief of police for Baker, Louisiana for 27 years. He is a member of the state D.A.R.E. Advisory Board, chairman of the Delta Drug Task Force, and a past president of the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police as well as several other professional memberships and posts. He is married and has four children.
The sheriff is also the ex officio tax collector for East Baton Rouge Parish.
The department is divided up into five substations, with its headquarters in downtown Baton Rouge. The substations are as follows:
Kleinpeter - The Kleinpeter Substation was built in 1978 and is located in the southern portion of East Baton Rouge Parish. Geographically boundaried by Airline Highway to the west, the Amite River to the East, Florida Boulevard to the north, and the Ascension/ Iberville parish lines to the south, Kleinpeter Deputies provide coverage to the largest and most heavily populated areas of the parish. The actual patrol area covers an area of approximately 80 square miles (210 km2) and has an area resident population of approximately 100,000. Kleinpeter Substation operates with 80 uniformed deputies and a reserve roster of approximately 30 reserves.
Commander - Captain Young
Burbank - Burbank Substation opened in 2005 and is located in the southern part of the parish. Geographically boundaried by the Mississippi River to the west, Airline Highway to the East, the City of Baton Rouge to the north, and the Ascension/ Iberville parish lines to the south, the Burbank Substation responds to an average of 1000 service calls a month and operates with 40 uniformed deputies. Burbank Substation also houses the Traffic Bureau.
Commander - Captain Andrew Stevens
Gardere - The Gardere Substation opened in 2014 and serves the Gardere community with 40 uniformed deputies.
Central - Central Substation was built in November 1978. The area of patrol is bounded by Florida Boulevard to the south, the Amite River to the east, Plank Road to the west, and the East Feliciana/St. Helena parish lines to the north covering over 110 square miles (280 km2). Central Substation operates with 30 uniformed Deputies.
Commander - Captain Bobby Dale Callendar
Scotlandville - Scotlandville Sub-Station was built in 1974, to service the northern portion of the parish, which covers roughly 75 square miles (190 km2). The boundaries are from Plank Road to the east, the Mississippi River to the west, Florida Boulevard to the south, and the East Feliciana parish line to the north. The Sub-Station is also located in the heart of Scotlandville, which houses Southern University, one of the two major universities in Baton Rouge.
Commander - Captain Thomas
Zachary-Pride - Zachary-Pride Substation opened its doors on March 22, 2007. It is located on Tucker Road just off of Highway 64 in Zachary. The Reserve Division is also housed at the Zachary-Pride Substation. There are approximately 100 Reserves who serve East Baton Rouge Parish by donating their time to make Baton Rouge and its surrounding areas safe for all.
Commander - Captain Demoulin
Traffic Division - The new Traffic Office was opened in 2009 and is located at 1759 Physicians Park. The Traffic Division is responsible for Parade Permits, Traffic Crash investigations, Hit and Run investigations, Traffic Homicides, Radar enforcement and Junk Vehicle complaints.
Commander - Captain Stone
K-9 Division - The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office is recognized as having one of the best trained K-9 units in the United States. At a national competition of police dogs in 2013, two of their dogs, "Mylo" and "Jumma", took first and second place in narcotics detection. The K-9 Division currently operates at the new Zachary-Pride Substation that was completed in January 2011. The K-9 Division was started in 2008 by Sheriff Gautreaux. Prior to 2008, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff Office had no K-9 Division. The Division currently has 9 canine dogs. The Division currently uses 7 USPCA certified canines for Criminal Patrol (Tracking, Evidence Recovery, Apprehension) and 2 Nationally recognized Multi-Certified Narcotic Detection Canines. The Narcotic Detection Canines currently hold numerous certifications including: United States Police Canine Association (USPCA), National Narcotic Detector Dog Association (NNDDA), and U.S. K-9.
The Sheriff's Office also operates the following facilities in addition to the substations:
Headquarters - The headquarters building is located in downtown Baton Rouge across from the 19th Judicial District Courthouse. The building houses the administrative office of the sheriff's office as well as many specialized bureaus including: Homicide, Criminal Investigations, Financial Crimes, Crime Scene, Robbery & Burglary, Auto Theft, Narcotics, Internal Affairs and others.
Parish Prison - The East Baton Rouge Parish Prison is located near Metro Airport and is run and staffed by the Sheriff's Office. Over 1500 inmates are housed at this facility; 1410 males and 184 females. Over 350 Deputies are employed at the Prison, including secretarial workers, guards, and administrative staff.
On the grounds of the Parish Prison are also Fleet Operations, Inmate Work Release, Evidence Building and the Capital Area Regional Training Academy (CARTA) which is a regional law enforcement facility that trains EBRSO deputies as well as numerous officers from the surrounding parishes.
Firing Range - The Firearms Training Unit is staffed by 8 Instructors, who carry multiple certifications from recognized organizations such as Louisiana Police Officer Standards and Training Council, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Blackwater USA, SigArms Academy, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Glock, Ruger, Bushmaster, Action Target Training Academy and the National Rifle Association. The firing range is located in the northern part of the parish and provides firearms training for the Sheriff's Office as well as surrounding law enforcement agencies.
The Sheriff's Office rank structure is as listed:
The current standard issue firearm for EBRSO Deputies is the Glock Model 22 semi-automatic pistol in [ 40 S&W] and the Smith & Wesson Model 66 revolver in .38 caliber. Other optional handguns are also authorized for carry on-duty as well as off-duty. Most deputies are also issued a Remington 870 Police 12 gauge shotgun. Some police cars are also equipped with a Colt AR-15 A2 in .223. The deputies are issued batons and the chemical spray Freeze +P. Tasers have also recently been issued.
The current main sheriff's office patrol vehicles are the Chevrolet Impala and the Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicles' markings include a sheriff's office badge on the front quarter panels, "SHERIFF" on the doors and "EAST BATON ROUGE" on the bottom door panels. Green and yellow stripes run down the side of the vehicle and a unit number is displayed on the roof for air unit identification. The patrol vehicles are outfitted with LED light bars and have laptop computers for use by deputies. Other marked patrol vehicles currently used include Harley-Davidson motorcycles and the Chevrolet Caprice. Several other unmarked vehicles in various makes and models are also used for non-patrol purposes.
Since the formation of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, eight 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.
