Informer: CPSO drill team’s trip to DC cost about $7K
Last Modified: Friday, June 22, 2012 8:04 PM
By Andrew Perzo / American Press
How much did it cost to send the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office drill team to compete in Washington, D.C.?
Kim Myers, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, said the trip cost about $7,400.
The Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, which has 17 members, was formed eight years ago, she said. The trip, which involved only five team members, marked the group’s second appearance in a national competition, Myers said.
This year’s contest, held during National Police Week, featured 17 teams, including groups from federal law enforcement agencies and one team from Canada.
The Calcasieu team placed second, behind the Marion County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office but ahead of teams from DeKalb County, Ga.; Union Township, Ohio; and Orange County, Fla.
The Honor Guard, Myers said, performs throughout the year at various events, including Lake Charles’ Red, White, Blue and You Independence Day celebration and the funerals of law enforcement officers and dignitaries.
The members, who are picked by Sheriff Tony Mancuso, “receive no compensation for their performances, and many times they do this on their own time,” Myers said.
The Honor Guard members who traveled to Washington were Sgt. John Reddin, Cpl. Leonard Crawford, Sr. Cpl. Lance Melendy, Cpl. Steven Arnold and Deputy Marcus Thompson.
Online: www.policeweek.org.
Reader frustrated with old tenants’ mail
What can I do about the mail that I receive in my mailbox that is for people who haven’t lived here in over four years? Some of these are bills. I have put them back in my mailbox with a note saying, “Return to sender,” I’ve talked to the mail carrier, I’ve talked to the postmaster and nothing seems to be done. What do I do?
McKinney Boyd, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman in Dallas, suggests you file a complaint with the post office’s consumer affairs department in New Orleans. The phone number is 504-589-1420. The address is 701 Loyola Ave., New Orleans, LA 70113.
The reader’s complaint is the subject of one of the top frequently asked questions on the Postal Service’s website. The initial step the agency recommends for recipients of such misdelivered mail is to write “Not at this address” on the envelope and return the mail to the carrier or a mailbox.
Incidentally, in its quest to answer the reader’s question The Informer stumbled on the following response suggestions, which
come from the Postal Service’s Consumer Answer Book, a guide “designed for postmasters to use when responding to customer
complaints or inquiries”:
Misdelivery
• Thank you for telling us about the incident of misdelivered mail you experienced. Our letter carriers deliver the mail “as it is addressed” and a mishandling is certainly unintentional. We will work harder to catch mistakes like this one before it happens!
• Although mail is now sorted by carrier route, occasional mistakes still happen. Please call (insert name of person to call and telephone number) right away if an error occurs again. In that way, we can identify the employee mishandling your mail and take appropriate steps.
Online: http://faq.usps.com.
The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com
Posted By: Tricia On: 7/21/2012
Title: P.Q.
You are such a pompous smurf. Do you feel left out? I bet you are just a little jealous. And don't say "your" tax dollars paid for this. Not quite. Your tax dollars probably paid .50 cents. I will reimburse you if it will make you feel better.
Posted By: Tricia Beboar On: 6/26/2012
Title: Jacobin
I'm proud of our sheriffs department for placing second place! They competed against some major law enforcement agencies including Border Patrol. Lt. Robert Manuel also accompied the Honor Guard. This is a great success for our Law Enforcement men an woman. Personally I'm proud of them as I know our Sherrif is too.
Posted By: P.Q. On: 6/25/2012
Title: waste
That all it is and nothing but waste.7k to send them up there for what? How does spending that 7k make Calcasieu safer?
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