Technology helping Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office with public safety

The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office plans to increase the number of traffic cameras as a proactive measure toward public safety, Sheriff Brett Stassi said.

The cameras mark the next step to improve public safety. He maintained that the system is not a matter of delving into the privacy of motorists.

“This is not 'Big Brother' watching your every move,” Stassi said. “This is technology that helps us solve crimes when we have no witnesses and making sure we arrest the right people so that we keep our parish and communities safe. We’re not going to have deputies watching them all day.

IPSO has had cameras in operation through high-traffic arteries such Interstate 10, and now Stassi wants to expand the program.

“We want to keep the parish safe,” he said. “We don’t want to become a statistic leader on murders.”

The equipment will help the parish stay ahead of the curve on public safety, Stassi said.

“We’re a big parish, spread out over 600 miles, and these cameras are here to help us – not to hurt anyone or watch what people are doing,” he said. “It also makes it easier for us to know who to question in an investigation.”

Lafayette Parish has become a leader in the camera surveillance. Hundreds of systems have helped solve many crimes not only throughout that parish, but also neighboring areas and other parts of the state.

The cameras mark Stassi’s latest effort to enhance the department’s technology for the use of safeguarding residents and law enforcement.

The CAD (computer-aided dispatch) system, which had been in the work for several years, and to safeguard deputies when they come in contact with suspects.

Through information from laptops, deputies have the information of who owns the car and who could be driving that vehicle.

“Everything is coming together,” he said. “The deputies love it because it’s going to take the sheriff’s office to the next level in terms of deputies knowing who we are, and who we’re stopping before they even get out the car.

“It’s all about the safety of the deputies,” Stassi said. “You never know what you face when you step out the police car.”