Jackson Jambalaya

The Superintendent of the Louisiana State Police didn't live high on the hog- he was the hog.  Mike Edmonson is in quite a bit of hot water, as the state legislative auditor investigates his tenure as Superintendent.*  He recently retired. The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate forgot it was supposed to worship the boys in blue and got its mitts on a copy of the audit. It published some of the findings.  They would be quite entertaining to read if they didn't involve taxpayer money.  The newspaper reported:

As Louisiana's longest-tenured State Police superintendent, Mike Edmonson created a life of luxury for his family at taxpayers' expense, ordering troopers to chauffeur his wife around the state, tapping state resources to service his son's Jeep and even relying on trusties to walk the family dog at the Department of Public Safety compound where the Edmonsons lived rent-free for years.

Edmonson, who retired amid scandal this year, also allowed friends to stay in New Orleans hotel rooms — paid for by the city of New Orleans — reserved for troopers providing security at Mardi Gras; ate free meals at the State Police cafeteria; ordered inmates to deliver food to his residence; and improperly used the Governor's Mansion dry-cleaning service to clean his uniforms — while taking a stipend from the state for dry cleaning.

Those are among the findings of a scathing report being finalized this month by the state Legislative Auditor's Office — an inquiry that portrays Edmonson as a freeloader who never turned down a handout....

The audit began as a review of State Police travel, ordered by Gov. John Bel Edwards after The Advocate reported this year that a group of troopers charged taxpayers thousands of dollars for overtime and overnight stays at tourist destinations last year as they drove to a law enforcement conference in California.

According to the report, Edmonson falsely told state auditors — as he did the public and the news media — that he "was not aware of the detours to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas until after the trip."

The Advocate reported Thursday that, in fact, Edmonson remained in contact with the troopers during their entire trip, according to cellphone records and text messages that Edmonson received about his troopers posing in front of the Hoover Dam....

The auditors determined that Edmonson moved his family into the Department of Public Safety compound "without legal authority," and that he had the state pick up his utility bills, including cable television and electricity. The compound, known formally as the Residential Conference Center, was built in 2002 and originally was intended to house the governor and State Police superintendent during emergency situations.

At some point, the Edmonsons had the residence modified to construct a shoe closet for Edmonson's wife.

The auditors noted that Edmonson's use of the residence — at an estimated value of $434,720 from February 2008 to March 2017 — was not included as a fringe benefit on his W-2 forms. It's unclear whether Edmonson paid federal taxes on the benefit, but auditors clearly believe he should have...

"Statements from DPS employees indicate that Col. Edmonson is the only State Police superintendent to move his family into" the compound, the auditors wrote. "DPS employees told us that a trusty worked at the (compound) exclusively to cook, clean and perform other services for Col. Edmonson and his family, including walking Col. Edmonson's dog." ....

For years, according to the report, Edmonson ordered troopers to provide transportation for his wife, whether she was bar-hopping in New Orleans, gambling in Lake Charles or catching a concert in Lafayette. Troopers routinely were used to run personal errands for Edmonson while they were on the clock, the audit found.

One trooper reported driving Edmonson's wife, mother-in-law and a friend to and from a Bob Seger concert at the Cajundome in Lafayette. State Police also frequently gave Edmonson's wife a lift to the airport.

"Other troopers informed us that they were required to escort Col. Edmonson's wife and friend to the French Quarter while wearing costumes, which may have included parts of the State Police uniform," the report says.

The auditors concluded that Edmonson also may have broken the law by providing complimentary hotel rooms to friends and family and receiving an improper reimbursement. Edmonson allowed friends and family members to stay in hotel rooms that were paid for by the city of New Orleans and that were intended for troopers working during Mardi Gras.

Edmonson would receive multiple rooms in his name or the names of other troopers, the audit found. He also was reimbursed by State Police for a hotel room in 2014, even though the city had bought a hotel room for him elsewhere.

In February 2015, two of Edmonson's friends stayed in a suite at the Windsor Court that had been intended for troopers. Edmonson acknowledged inviting the friends but claimed he "thought it was being paid for" by them, the audit says. ....

Edmonson also used state resources to have minor repairs, washing and detailing services done on his family's vehicles. For instance, he used fleet operations personnel to replace his wife's tires and change the top of his son's Jeep, "which has a hard top for the winter and a soft top for the summer," the report says. ...

The report also found Edmonson failed to pay for many of his meals at the State Police cafeteria.

"Col. Edmonson told us that it is possible that during his tenure as colonel, he inadvertently may have walked out of the cafeteria without paying for his coffee," the report says. "However, he said he paid for his meals and that his meals were often paid for by other people. The cafeteria manager estimated that Col. Edmonson did not pay for his meals at least 50 percent of the time.".... Rest of damning article.

No doubt about it, our leadership at the Mississippi Department of Public Safety are amateurs by comparison. 

* Wait, a legislature actually performing oversight functions? Horrors.