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SBSO LT. MICHELLE CANEPA NAMED SCHOOL LIAISON INVESTIGATOR
St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann has appointed Lt. Michelle Canepa as the department’s new school liaison investigator who will work closely with the St. Bernard Parish School System.
Lt. Canepa, a 19-year law enforcement veteran, will be responsible for handling any law enforcement related matters that occur within the entire St. Bernard Parish public school system, the Sheriff said.
“Making our schools safe for our children is a top priority for the Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “Having Lt. Canepa dedicated to being present in the schools and acting as a central point of contact between the two entities will further our safety prevention measures.”
In addition to having a presence within the schools, Lt. Canepa also will be the lead detective responsible for conducting investigations about any incidents that take place on school campuses.
She also will work to build positive relationships with students and facilitate educational opportunities for students, parents, school staff and school administrators regarding various safety prevention measures.
“I really want to be visible within the schools to show children of our parish that we, as in law enforcement, are here for them in different capacities and not just in emergency situations,” Lt. Canepa said.
Sheriff Pohlmann said the appointment of Lt. Canepa will complement the School Resource Officers program which currently includes two full-time deputies who are present on campus at Chalmette High School and two full-time deputies stationed at C.F. Rowley Alternative School.
Lt. Canepa began her career in law enforcement with the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office in 2004, and graduated from the Peace Officers Standards and Training, or P.O.S.T., police academy in 2007.
She has worked in various divisions, including Communications as a 911 dispatcher and the Criminal Investigations Bureau. She also is a former Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard-Arabi Life Saver Award recipient through her work within the Juvenile Criminal Investigations Bureau where she worked for more than a decade.
Lt. Canepa, now assigned to the Special Investigations Division, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Upper Iowa University-New Orleans, and is currently working on completing her final year of obtaining a master’s degree in counseling.
“While handling investigations throughout the last 16 years, I have been able to develop a good working relationship with school and administrative personnel,” she said. “The primary goal for this position is to continue moving forward together with the St. Bernard Parish School Board to ensure safe environments for the children of this parish.”
Born and raised in St. Bernard Parish, Lt. Canepa is looking forward to what this new role will mean to her hometown.
“It is important to me to have this opportunity as I have always enjoyed working with children, helping out however I could, and also having vested interest in our school system because of my own children who attend parish public schools,” she said. “This is something that will benefit everyone involved and ultimately it is my hope to help make a positive impact on our children’s lives.”
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