Louisiana Parish Government
Louisiana is unique in the nation in that many of our laws, customs, and practices are derived from the old Napoleonic Code of the French, and among various differences from other states, we have parishes in Louisiana which are governed in most cases by police juries, rather than counties governed by county boards of commissioners or similar local governing bodies as in other states.

History of the Police Jury Form of Government
Shortly after the Louisiana territory was purchased by the United States, the newly created Legislative Council met in 1804 and divided the State into 12 counties. These counties were Orleans, German Coast, Acadia, LaFourche, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, Concordia, Attakapas, Opelousas, Rapides, Ouachita, and Natchitoches. These counties proved to be too large for satisfactory administration, and, in 1807, the State was divided into 19 parishes based, for the most part, on ecclesiastical (Church) parishes as established in 1762 by the Spanish provisional governor. Thus, a parish became the local government district. As a consequence, when Louisiana became a state, the term "parish" was taken over with the name of the region to which it had applied under the Church. Today, after a number of revisions, Louisiana has 64 parishes.

Government of the 19 parishes was at first along the lines established for the counties wherein county judges served as the chief governing officers. In 1807, the Legislative Council revised the form of government by creating a 12-member jury to serve with the parish judge. This body was charged with responsibility for "execution of whatever concerns the interior and local police and administration of the parish."

Another step was taken in 1810 when legislation created the office of Sheriff for each parish. About a year later, on April 30, 1811, the State adopted an act making members of the police assembly elective and designating this body officially as a "police jury." Powers of the judges were reduced and justices of the peace were made ex-officio members. (In 1824, justices of the peace were dropped from the police jury membership.) Two years later, on March 25, 1813, legislation provided for wards to serve on the police juries. (Members were to serve without compensation and to be subject to a fine for non-attendance at meetings.)

Parish judges continued to serve on police juries as ex-officio presidents until 1839, when legislation excluded them from membership. Police juries were gradually given added powers over the next two decades and began to function much as they do today. The Louisiana Constitution of 1845 dropped all reference to counties.

Today the vast majority of the parishes are governed by a Police Jury, as provided by the general laws of the State. The voters of each parish have the exclusive right to elect their governing authority. Parishes may choose to operate under the home rule authority, and if so, they may exercise any power and perform any function necessary or proper for the management of their affairs not defined by general law. Currently, sixteen parishes are under home rule charters.

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury
Under the Police Jury System, the Police Jury is required to establish, by ordinance, the size of its body. Police juries in parishes having more than 10,000 population must have no fewer than five nor more than 15 members. In parishes of less than 10,000 population, police juries must have at least three members. To qualify for Police Juror, a person must be a qualified elector at least 18 years old, a resident of the State for the preceding two years, and actually domiciled for the preceding year in the district from which he seeks election. The term of a Police Juror is four years.

The general responsibility of the Police Jury is to levy the necessary taxes and administer the spending of said funds for many parish operations. The authority of the Police Jury extends to all territory in the Parish which lies outside of an incorporated city, town, or village. Some responsibilities of the Police Jury apply to citizens within incorporated areas of the Parish as well.

In Calcasieu Parish the Police Jury has appointed a Parish Administrator to manage the overall operations of the Parish. This council/manager form of government provides for a professionally managed organization which is less influenced by political considerations than some other structures of local government. In order to facilitate an orderly handling of specific issues, police juries commonly appoint standing committees to review items prior to consideration by the full body. The CPPJ has five standing committees: Public Works, Ways & Means, Agenda, Personnel, and Budget.

In regular or special meetings the Police Jury authorizes new projects, receives recommendations from the various standing and special committees and takes action thereon, receives reports from the various Parish departments and takes action as required. It adopts ordinances and resolutions which regulate many matters affecting public safety, health, convenience and good order of the Parish, and takes all other action incidental and necessary for Calcasieu Parish as a whole.

The Police Jury performs several executive functions. It is the administrator of public property which belongs to the Parish. The best known examples are the Parish Courthouse and Calcasieu Correctional Center, which the Police Jury is required to provide and keep in proper repair, and to expand when necessary to provide adequate space. Other duties of the Police Jury include such things as maintenance of the parish road, bridge and drainage system, regulation of traffic and speed limits on parish roads, adoption of subdivision regulations, zoning regulations relative to the most appropriate use of property, and maintenance of parish parks. The Police Jury is also responsible for establishing precinct boundaries for election purposes and the polling place for voting within each precinct.

The Police Jury must furnish funds to pay for the manpower, equipment, and supplies needed to conduct the various operations of the Parish. It must also pay either all or part of the operations and salaries of some elected officials of the Parish, as instructed by State Law, and is responsible for financing the operations of the District Court, except the salaries of the District Judges.

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury is responsible for a wide variety of functions, and the list keeps growing. Your Police Juror has many responsibilities and considerable authority with reference to the operation of the business of the Parish. Consequently, every citizen should become as familiar as possible with our system so that the most qualified persons will be elected to promote the common interests of the Parish.