Jan 29, 2010 - It was perhaps the biggest story in the New Orleans area for several days in December, sparking indignation by the public who wondered: How can someone be so low as to break into a St. Bernard Parish church, then unwrap and steal 65 Christmas presents collected for the needy of the area?

But a group of sheriff’s detectives investigated and solved the case within days, making an arrest early on Dec. 23 and recovering and returning the gifts to Our Lady of Lourdes Church, which also had received numerous other donations from a public that wanted to make it a bright Christmas for the needy.

For their efforts, the detectives, supervisor Capt. Mark Jackson, Lt. Richard “Rick’’ Mendel and Sgt. Donald “DJ” Johnson received awards from the Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard/Arabi on Tuesday, Jan. 26, which gave them its Life Saver Award.

The honor is “in recognition of courageous service to our community,’’ said Chalmette businessman and club President Sam Catalanotto.
“The Kiwanis Club didn’t envision this award as being for life-saving heroics, but as an award in recognition of the everyday heroic efforts of our deputies and firefighters in St. Bernard Parish,’’ Catalanotto said at a luncheon honoring the officers. “They are the first ones in the door, or the first ones on the scene, always willing to put their lives on the line so the community of St. Bernard continues to be safe.’’

The Life Saver award was suggested by Catalanotto in the late 1990s as a means to honor sheriff’s deputies and parish firefighters. “It’s meant to say ‘thank you,’’ he said. Catalanotto said any business interested in joining with the Kiwanis in this worthwhile project or anyone interested in learning more about joining the Kiwanis service organization can call him at (504) 296-9501 or Robbie Showalter at (504) 279-8544.

The detective group solved the Dec. 20 church burglary at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Violet. Because of the publicity the crime received in the media, the people of the New Orleans area responded by opening their hearts and wallets to the church, donating a bonanza of presents that made it a much better Christmas for the needy than anyone could have imagined, Catalanotto said.

Jackson, Mendel and Johnson said they appreciated being recognized by the Kiwanis Club and accepted the award on behalf of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office. Their chief of detectives, Col. John Doran, also attended the luncheon.

Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said the department is grateful to the club for thinking about the work of first-responders. “They don’t always get the recognition they deserve, so this is appreciated,’’ Pohlmann said. Also, he said the church burglary was a high-profile crime that demanded detectives stick with it until resolved. “They worked it and worked it’’ and got results, turning a bad thing into a happy ending for the church and the needy people that were helped, Pohlmann said.

 Det. Capt. Mark Jackson, a 19-year employee of the Sheriff’s Office, is a veteran supervisor in the sheriff’s Detective Bureau. He was named officer of the year in 1995 and 2002, spent a year in Iraq training upwards of 500 Iraqi police officers through a program of the U.S. State Department and in 2009 was graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy at Quantico, Va.
Jackson became a detective after working in the sheriff’s patrol division.
Det. Lt. Richard “Rick’’ Mendel is a 23-year veteran of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, having worked in numerous departments. He has served as a corrections officer, moving up to Assistant Warden of the St. Bernard Parish Prison.
Mendel also has been an instructor in the sheriff’s D.A.R.E. anti-drug and violence program in St. Bernard schools, as a detective in the sheriff’s Juvenile Division and now is in the Criminal Investigations Bureau.
Det. Sgt. Donald “DJ’’ Johnson has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 2001 and also has worked in several departments. Johnson started as a corrections officer, advanced to become a patrol officer and has been assigned as a detective in the Criminal Investigations Bureau since 2007.
Jackson, Mendel and Johnson are also members of the sheriff’s SWAT team.
 

Sgt. Richard Barr of the Sheriff’s Office holds the Lifesaver Award he received from Sam Catalanotto of the Kiwanis Club.

Aug 9, 2009 - St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Dep. Sgt. Richard Barr, sent to a Chalmette residence the night of April 23 on a call of a missing 20-month-old boy, said he was trying to methodically exclude places the child might be when he jumped into a murky swimming pool in the backyard of the family’s home, near 11 p.m. “The water was cloudy,’’ said Barr, who has been associated with the Sheriff’s Office since 1979 when he was first employed there. “I couldn’t see the second step of the pool.’’ He went in to eliminate all places the child might be in the immediate area and then expand the search from there, he said. The pool was in the 3600 block of Palmisano Boulevard.

To his horror, almost immediately after going into the pool Barr felt something and realized it was the child, whom he carried out of the pool, giving him to Fire Department personnel and paramedics who were there. “They did everything possible,’’ Barr said. “We didn’t save his life. I wish we could have.’’ The veteran officer said he was emotionally affected by the experience.

The boy, Jamil Attalah, was unresponsive when found and was pronounced dead about midnight at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans. He apparently slipped out of a bedroom after being placed in a bed to sleep and left the home unnoticed by other adults and children who were there. Family members called authorities when he was noticed missing.

Barr described the incident on Tuesday, Aug. 4, when he was honored by the Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard-Arabi, who gave him its Lifesaver Award. The honor is “in recognition of his courageous service to our community,’’ said Chalmette businessman Sam Catalanotto, chairman of the Lifesaver Award committee. The Kiwanis Club President is Judge Robert Buckley. Barr was recognized in ceremonies at a luncheon at Rocky & Carlo’s Restaurant in Chalmette. Sgt. Barr, after starting with the Sheriff’s Office in 1979, left the department in 1984 to start a business but later returned in 2000 and has been there as a deputy since. The deputy said he felt honored to receive the Kiwanis Club award, but said work done by the Sheriff’s Office and parish Fire Department is a “collective effort’’ to help St. Bernard.

Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said the department is grateful to the club. “First-responders don’t always get the recognition they deserve, so this is appreciated,’’ Pohlmann said. Maj. Mark Poche, Chief of Field Operations for the Sheriff’s Office, also attended.  The award was suggested by Catalanotto in the 1990s as a means to honor sheriff’s deputies and parish firefighters. “It’s an award of recognition for the jobs sheriff’s deputies and firefighters do,’’ said Catalanotto. “It’s meant to say ‘thank you’ for being the first ones to put their lives on the line for us.’’
 

Apr 23, 2009 - Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed St. Bernard Parish Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann to the state Crime Victims Reparations Board, which awards payments to valid applicants from a reparations fund. The board assists victims of violent crimes with unrecovered costs associated with a personal injury, death or catastrophic property loss. Money in the fund comes from assessments made to criminals.

Pohlmann, who lives in Meraux and is second in command under St. Bernard Sheriff Jack Stephens, will serve as an at-large member representing the 3rd Congressional District. “I am pleased to be appointed to this board and be in a position to try to help victims of violent crime in their time of need,’’ said Pohlmann. “I encourage St. Bernard Parish residents who have been victims of violent crime and as a result have legitimate expenses that meet the criteria to apply for consideration of reparations.’’

Sheriff Stephens said, “It’s an honor for St. Bernard Parish and the Sheriff’s Office to have a representative on the Crime Victims Reparations Board’’ and said Pohlmann is a good selection. “Jimmy has the experience in dealing with crime victims because of his background in law enforcement that makes him the right choice.’’

Applications for reparations consideration are available from all Louisiana sheriffs' offices, Pohlmann said. The victim reparations coordinator for St. Bernard is Lt. Jennifer Turnage, at (504) 278-7656, and can provide assistance to victims of violent crime who ask for help in filling out application forms. Victims may also get an application directly from the Crime Victim's Reparations Office by calling 1-888-6-VICTIM (nationwide).

The Crime Victims Reparations Board has 11 members, including the executive director of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice. The remaining 10 members are gubernatorial appointees. One member is selected from nominations submitted by the group Victims and Citizens Against Crime, Inc. and nine members serve at-large. Each congressional district must be represented and one at-large. One member must be at least 60 years old to represent senior citizens of the state. Other New Orleans area members of the board include: Sharon Rodi of Metairie, representing the 1st Congressional District; and Kenneth Jones of Harvey, who represents the 2nd Congressional District.

Here are basic facts about the Crime Victims Reparations Fund:

Residency
The crime must occur in Louisiana or involve a Louisiana resident who becomes a victim in another state that doesn’t have a crime victim compensation program for which they would be eligible.

Reporting the Crime
The crime must be reported to a law enforcement agency within 72 hours after the incident unless there is a valid reason it couldn’t be reported within this time period.

Filing for Compensation
The application must be filed within a year of the crime unless there is a valid reason it couldn’t be submitted within this time period.

Cooperation
The victim and/or claimant must cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

Who May Qualify
An innocent victim of a violent crime who suffers physical and/or emotional harm, death or catastrophic property loss; a person who legally assumes the obligations or voluntarily pays certain expenses related to the crime on behalf of the victim; immediate family members needing counseling as a result of the consequence of death of the victim.

Who is Not Eligible
A victim whose own behavior contributed to the crime; a victim or claimant who was engaged in illegal activity at the time of crime; an offender or an accomplice of the offender; anyone incarcerated in a penal institution when the crime occurred or who had a felony conviction in the last five years; victims of non crime-related traffic accidents.

What Crimes Are Covered
Covered are crimes involving the use of force or the threat of the use of force and result in personal injury, death or catastrophic property loss. The only motor vehicle-related crimes that are eligible are: DWI, Hit and Run, victim of a driver who is fleeing apprehension by law enforcement, or a victim whose injuries were intentionally inflicted with a vehicle.

What Expenses are Eligible
Reimbursement for property damage or loss is not an eligible expense. Approved claims may be awarded compensation for the following only if they are related to the crime: Reasonable medical and prescription expenses, dental expenses, mental health counseling, funeral expenses, loss of earnings or support, child care to enable a victim, spouse, surviving spouse of a deceased victim or guardian to continue employment, reasonable replacement costs for item or items taken as evidence or made unusable as a result of the criminal investigation.

What expenses aren’t eligible
Expenses which may not be reimbursed for any reason include: property losses except for a catastrophic property loss which is limited to the loss of your current residence provided it is owned and occupied by the victim/claimant, pain and suffering, attorney fees except when they are part of an order from a hearing or award by a court of law.

Limits on Awards
Total recovery may not exceed $ 10,000 unless the victim suffered total and permanent disability. Victims who suffer total permanent disability as a result of their victimization may qualify for up to $25,000.

Recoveries from Other Sources
The Crime Victims Reparations Fund is regarded as the "payer of last resort." It is a secondary source that pays for certain out-of-pocket expenses related to the crime that the victim has no other way to pay. Other sources that have to pay first include:

• HMO/health insurance
• Disability insurance/life insurance 
• Vacation time, sick leave or other types of leave paid by an employer 
• Worker's compensation benefits 
• Social security 
• Medicare or Medicaid

Mar 26, 2009 - St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Det. Capt. Mark Jackson, a veteran supervisor in the Detective Bureau who also spent a year in Iraq training police officers, has been named to attend the prestigious FBI National Academy at Quantico, Va., starting in April.

The program is an 11-week course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders, available only through invitation and a nomination process, and geared to enhance personal and professional development. State and local police, sheriffs' offices, military police and federal law enforcement agents attend the academy, whose classes are drawn from every state and some 150 nations. The first academy class was held in July 1935, with 23 students.

“I feel honored and I’m looking forward to it because it’s a great opportunity to enhance my training at a prestigious academy and meet numerous officers from many other departments,’’ said Jackson, a native of St. Bernard Parish and an 18-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office. “This will help me in my job here.’’

Jackson has handled numerous investigations of murders and other serious offenses in his career, becoming a detective after working in the sheriff’s patrol division. He is a supervisor in the Detective Bureau and is also a member of the sheriff’s SWAT team.

Jackson is the 14th member of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office to be appointed to the FBI National Academy under Sheriff Jack Stephens’ 24-year tenure.

Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann, who has also attended the FBI National Academy, described Jackson as “a worthy candidate for the Academy.’’

“Mark is one of our top investigators and has a history of being involved in solving murders, burglaries and other crimes,’’ Pohlmann said. “His appointment is a credit to our department.’’

One of the most unusual aspects of Jackson’s law enforcement career was the one-year term he spent in Iraq from 2004-05, returning just before the hurricane, in which he trained upward of 500 Iraqi police officers through a program of the U.S. State Department.

“I worked with officers from throughout the United States,’’ and was part of a team of police involved in security for the first national election held in Iraq, Jackson said. “I learned things from other officers that helped my police work here.’’

Looking back, “I think it was well worth it’’ to his career to have taken part in the training mission there, Jackson said.’’

On a sad note, several of the Iraqi police officers he helped train were murdered in the ongoing war. “They were brave guys,’’ Jackson said, people who were willing to work in situations in which police stations were being attacked and officers frequently had to wear civilian clothes to and from work, dressing in uniforms after they got to work, because of the chance of being targeted along the way.

Jackson said a police station he was assigned to came under direct attack at one point. “We had a gun battle before we could secure the area.’’

But he said there has been “tremendous progress in security’’ since his time in Iraq.

	S.O. Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann is named Cimestoppers’ Law Enforcement Officer of Year.

Mar 22, 2009 - St. Bernard Parish Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann, second in command to Sheriff Jack Stephens, has been named by the Crimestoppers organization as Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for St. Bernard. The award was given by Darlene Cusanza, executive director of the non-profit Crimestoppers group, at its 24th annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, March 18, attended by 600 people at the Riverside Hilton in New Orleans.

The group is known for posting rewards in criminal cases throughout the New Orleans metropolitan area as an incentive for those with information to anonymously report tips, which are passed along to the appropriate law enforcement agency in parishes, cities and at the federal level. Crimestoppers rotates its Law Enforcement Officer of the Year awards among the agencies it deals with.

“I’m honored to be recognized by an organization such as Crimestoppers, which has done so much for law enforcement in our area over the years by providing rewards for information which has resulted in the solving of numerous crimes, including some in St. Bernard Parish,’’ Pohlmann said.  “The award I received is a reflection of the job the men and women of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office do on a daily basis,’’ Pohlmann said.

Pohlmann, Chief Deputy Sheriff under Sheriff Stephens for more than a year, has over 25 years experience in law enforcement in the parish and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.  

Cusanza said Pohlmann was chosen for Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by a committee of the Crimestoppers board. “We look for individuals who have worked with Crimestoppers and who have made significant accomplishments in law enforcement in their own departments,’’ Cusanza said. "Chief Pohlmann," she said, “has a long history of working with Crimestoppers, serving as the group’s direct liaison with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office’’, where tips received about crimes are passed on to him. “Chief Pohlmann has been recognized for his outstanding leadership during one of our most tragic times, especially in St. Bernard after the hurricane,’’ Cusanza said. “It is due to his outstanding investigative skills that Crimestoppers has been successful in closing many cases for St. Bernard, including St. Bernard’s first murder after the hurricane.’’

Sheriff Stephens said Chief Deputy Sheriff Pohlmann is an excellent choice for the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award. “Jimmy has worked for the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office for more than 25 years and was here even before I became sheriff,’’ Stephens said. “He has moved up the ranks over the years by doing a good job as an officer.  “Chief Pohlmann knows St. Bernard police work inside and out and is personable with people he comes in contact with. He is certainly an integral part of what we do here and enhances our reputation as a solid law enforcement agency,’’ Sheriff Stephens said.

Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division gets 1st Kiwanis Club Life-Saving Award since hurricane for dismantling narcotics group in “Operation Driftwood,” with 30 arrests in 3-year case

Jan 18, 2009 - After the hurricane, when the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division was conducting what would be called Operation Driftwood and arrest some 30 members of a group distributing multiple pounds of various drugs, it was clear the dealers thought they could take advantage of the storm’s destruction, sheriff’s officials said.
 
“These animals thought we were down and out and that we didn’t have the resources to stop them and so they decided to set up shop,’’ said Col. Chad Clark, head of SID, which includes the Narcotics Division and Street Crimes Division. “And what really motivated us was when there were drug overdose deaths in St. Bernard Parish and one of their group said ‘People are like sheep. They can be replaced.’’

Now, with the leaders of the group, Maxwell Landry and Jason Broom, serving prison sentences and more than 30 others indicted, the Sheriff’s Office is being recognized for its work.

The Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard-Arabi, restarting its Life-Saving Award for the first timer since the hurricane, has given the first one to the men and women of the sheriff’s SID for dismantling the narcotics group in “Operation Driftwood” and saving untold lives of those who might have died from the drugs that were taken off th streets.

The group was recognized in ceremonies held Tuesday, Jan. 13 with a luncheon at Rocky & Carlo’s Restaurant in Chalmette.

Sheriff Jack Stephens and Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said the department is honored to receive the recognition from the Kiwanis Club, whose President is state Judge Robert Buckley, with businessman Sam Catalanotto as chairman of the Life-Saving Award committee.

The award was suggested by Catalanotto several years before the storm as a means to honor sheriff’s deputies and parish firefighters for their work, he said. He said the award wasn’t given since the storm but all concerned felt it was the right time to restart the program.

“We wanted to see positive recognition of the good things the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department do,’’ Catalanotto said. “We realize they do heroic deeds each day. We wanted to say ‘Thank you.’’’

Referring to the major drug investigation by SID, Catalanotto said, “We are positive an unknown number of lives were saved by these officers.’’

Clark praised the men and women of SID at the luncheon, saying in the three years of the investigation “At no time has anyone backed up when called upon, whether day or night, weekend or holiday. There were several occasions where agents slept in this units rather than leaving their duty and this work integrity is still being displayed.’’

Retired Col. Forrest Bethay, who headed SID for years thanked both the office of St. Bernard District Attorney Jack Rowley and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the effort they put into the case, resulting in many lengthy prison years for the defendants. “The magnitude of this investigation was unbelievable,’’ Bethay said, referring, for example, to the work involved in securing wiretaps of suspects’ phones.

A plaque was given to SID and certificates of recognition and a gift dinner was given to these officers:

Col. Chad Clark, Col. Forrest Bethay, Col. Pete Tufaro, Maj. Ronnie Martin, Capt. Clifford “Chip’’ Englande, Capt. Richard Jackson, Capt. Pat Childress, Lt. Bob Roger, Lt. Chris Cousins, Sgt. Joey Alfonso, Sgt. David Hebert, Cpl. Jessica Tarver, Sgt Mike Hermman, Cpl. Leander Morgan, Cpl. Johnell Young, Cpl. Brandon Licciardi.

Operation Driftwood focused on the large drug-trafficking network headed by Maxwell Landry and Jason Broom, responsible for distributing kilos, or 2.2 pounds at a time of marijuana, cocaine and crystal meth.

The investigation began in 2005 by the Special Investigations division of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office and later in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s office and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and is still ongoing.

Multiple pounds of drugs were seized, along with $400,000 in cash, several vehicles and real estate.

Because the organization crossed state lines and was being operated in multi-jurisdictions it fell under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force guidelines and was funded by the Department of Justice and organized by the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Orleans.

Landry is now serving a federal 3-year sentence and still awaits state charges, while Broom just pleaded guilty in state court in St. Bernard in December and was given 25 years in prison. So far, sentences totaling more than 100 years in prison have been meted out.

Operation Driftwood operated in a highly sophisticated manner, using compartmentalized, family-oriented distribution cells which included cell heads, lieutenants, distributors and facilitators with ties to two organizations out of New York and California, both of which are still being investigated today. Cell heads received direction from Landry and Broom but the cells remained insular.

The drug task force investigation utilized three wiretap affidavits involving different cell phones in combination with search warrants, traffic stops, cooperating witnesses and man other investigative techniques to systematically disrupt and eventually dismantle the Landry and Broom organization.