Washington PD chief didn’t intend to violate laws

Washington Police Chief Ronelle Broussard said he has nothing to hide about the audit that indicates he may have violated state law and the state constitution when he collected and set aside bond money.

The police chief said he didn’t know that he didn’t have the authority to set or collect bonds from 13 people his officers ticketed and said he acted with good intentions.

“It was something that I implemented and it backfired,” Broussard said. “I should have done my homework.”

He said he thought he could set and collect bond money from 13 people the department arrested on charges of drug possession and driving with a suspended license.

He added he wanted those arrested to show up in court, so he told them that if they paid $100, he would present that payment in court as proof of a good-faith agreement with the individual and the court.

“I acted on my behalf for one reason only: The ticket department is in the same budget as the police department,” Broussard said. “Since they were under my budget, I thought that I had the authority to do so.”

Broussard spoke with The Daily World Friday, five days after a report from Louisiana Legislative Auditor Daryl Pupera said the chief may have violated the town’s charter, state law and the state constitution with his actions.

The report said that Broussard did not have the authority to set and collect bonds — and that all $1,300 of the bond money should have gone to the town treasurer.

To keep it safe, Broussard decided to put that money in a savings account he’d already created. The chief and his sergeant Herman Peterson opened the account for proceeds from the police department’s Christmas ball. Broussard said the two used the account to buy the department supplies and distribute donations to schools.

He said he also loaned $400 from that account to a part-time dispatcher who was behind on her rent and needed some financial assistance. He said she did pay back the loan.

Broussard said he had requested the audit to make sure everything was fine with the account.

“I told them everything we were doing and how we were doing it,” he said. “(The auditor) advised me on what I could do and what I couldn’t do. He ordered me to close the account and contact the 13 individuals to give their money back.”

Nine of the 13 individuals have received their money back, Broussard said, and he will return the rest to the ticket office.

As of now, no charges have been filed against Broussard, and Washington Mayor Joe Pitre has decided not to speak about the audit or about Broussard’s future as police chief.

“Until I know what the legal implications are, I would prefer not to comment,” Pitre said Wednesday.

Broussard said if he needs legal assistance, he is prepared to find an attorney at the town’s expense. He expressed concern that this situation could escalate tensions between himself and Pitre. Broussard endorsed Pitre’s opponent during last fall’s election campaign.

“This is an opportunity for the mayor to push the issue,” he said. “He’s been personally attacking me for the last year and a half now, and it’s personal now.”