A freshman Calcasieu Parish police juror is working with the parish’s Government Channel, or C-Gov, to interview former police jurors and feature the interviews on the parish’s website.

District 5 Police Juror Nic Hunter said he, Parish Administrator Bryan Beam and C-Gov Director Tom Hoefer came up with the idea to provide an oral history for people wanting to know more about the parish’s past elected officials. The first set of interviews could be posted online within the next six months, he said.

“We are all lovers of history,” Hunter said. “It was something we thought would be fun to do, but also something we have an obligation to do.”

A self-proclaimed, “history nerd,” Hunter said the state’s political history listed on the Secretary of State’s website was one inspiration for the project.

“You can see that the website has kept track of the colorful characters and politicians in Louisiana’s past,” he said. “We have such a rich culture and history in Calcasieu Parish, and it’s our responsibility as a Police Jury to record those for posterity and for future generations.”

Hunter said that C-Gov has already filmed interviews with former police jurors Dr. Charles Mackey and Elcie Guillory. He said he wants to get interviews with as many police jurors as possible, including those still in office.

Hunter said he also would like to get interviews with family members of deceased police jurors and other non-elected officials who had an impact in the community.

“It’s important we remember our past and where we came from and understand the steps past police jurors took to get us here today,” Hunter said. “If you don’t know where you came from, you can’t direct where you’re going.”

Online: www.cppj.net

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President Nic Hunter (American Press Archives)