Central council debates hybrid, sheriff contract and full police department options; no final vote

The City of Central heard a sustained presentation and Q&A on April 28 about options for future law enforcement: continue the current hybrid model, transition to a full‑time Central Police Department (CPD), or contract primary services to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Captain Jason Dean of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office presented the sheriff’s office proposal and financial scenarios. Dean said a February 2025 proposal estimated $2.515 million annually to assume full law enforcement inside the city; he explained what that figure does and does not include (dedicated manpower for every event, certain legacy pension costs), described substation coverage and shift staffing at the Central and Pride substations, and offered a “step‑up” contract alternative with smaller initial payments growing to the full amount over a multi‑year term. Dean provided CAD call volume context and staffing metrics to show how coverage is currently allocated across substations.

A persistent issue in the discussion was a social‑media post alleging the sheriff’s office left Central uncovered during a recent mall shooting. Captain Dean called that claim “categorically false,” said his on‑duty Central substation units did not respond to the mall incident and explained how units from multiple substations and divisions were deployed, and offered GPS and CAD evidence to rebut the post. The allegation and the sheriff’s response formed a significant part of the council’s public discussion.

John Doier of the Central Police Department summarized three CPD models the FLE committee considered: (1) a virtually independent full‑time CPD, (2) a hybrid model retaining some sheriff services while expanding CPD functions, and (3) the sheriff’s full‑service takeover. He said recent legal guidance (an attorney general opinion referenced in the meeting) may limit options and that the department will present more detailed proposals at a later date.

Council members and the police chief discussed practicality, cost and continuity. Chief Corkran urged a phased approach to preserve jobs and equipment the department has obtained through grants. Several council members said the current hybrid model provides robust coverage and urged preserving CPD capacity so that, should sheriff leadership change in future terms, the city could more easily expand CPD services without creating coverage gaps.

On policy next steps, Council member Meyer proposed an advisory question on an upcoming ballot to let voters indicate whether they prefer a full CPD, a hybrid model, or sheriff‑provided primary services and whether they would support a dedicated revenue source to fund a full department. Council members also asked staff to codify written terms for any hybrid arrangement so responsibilities and triggers are explicit rather than based on informal understandings.

No formal council action was taken on the law enforcement models at this meeting. The mayor and staff said they would continue negotiations with the sheriff’s office, that individual council members may meet with the sheriff to ask detailed questions, and that CPD would present more detailed staffing and budget proposals at a later meeting.