A state judge has thrown out obstruction of justice charges against two former state troopers indicted in the 2019 fatal arrest of Ronald Greene. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Schools and athletic events in Louisiana will be required to have AEDs (automated external defibrillators) and trained individuals to use them in case something goes terribly wrong. Brooke Thorington explains.
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Two former state troopers could be cleared of wrongdoing in the Ronald Greene case. Judge Thomas Rogers has quashed the obstruction of justice charges against John Peters and Dakota DeMoss. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says the judge determined Peters’ actions did not meet the level of obstruction of justice by saying “Bury it in the report” when discussing the in-custody death of Greene…
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Judge Rogers has also ruled DeMoss should not face obstruction of justice charges for turning off his body camera audio. Borghardt says he’s surprised the judge dismissed that charge
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District Attorney John Belton can appeal.
The judge is also giving prosecutors three days to fix deficiencies in some charges against the three other defendants. Borhardt says it appears Judge Rogers is tightening up the case…
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Former state trooper Kory York faces the most serious charge. York is accused of negligent homicide as he was involved in the beating Greene took after a police chase along rural highway in Union Parish in 2019. York also faces ten counts of malfeasance, but the judge is considering quashing eight of those counts, unless D-A John Belton can identify a specific criminal act.
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The state health department is reporting Louisiana’s first two human cases of West Nile Virus for 2023. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says it only takes one bite so protect yourself
Cut 6 (09) “…severe complications…”
LDH advises eliminating standing water from around your home, keeping gutters and swimming pool properly cleaned, and also wearing EPA-approved mosquito repellent if you will be outside. Kanter says mosquito pools are present and cases have been discovered in two parishes across the state.
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Cases of malaria, caused by certain types of mosquitos, have been reported in Florida and Texas. Although there are no locally acquired cases of malaria, Kanter says mosquito vectors are present in the state creating the potential for local transmission.
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Last year, Louisiana experienced 41 West Nile neuroinvasive disease cases and seven deaths.
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According to Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, Louisiana paid its more than 13,000 patrol officers and sheriff’s deputies an average annual salary of $45 thousand in 2022 compared to the national average of $71 thousand. PAR President Steven Procopio says comparing Louisiana to neighboring states, law enforcement patrol officers are paid six-thousand below the regional average…
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Louisiana has the third lowest police pay compared to nine southern southern states. The average hourly pay for officers is around $22 in Louisiana
Procopio says it’s unclear whether the numbers include supplemental dollars that the state provides, but in most states local governments are responsible for police pay….
Cut 10 (09) “…in money.”
While the South has the lowest wages for police in the country, it also has the highest concentration of jobs in law enforcement. In Louisiana, seven out of every 1,000 jobs are in law enforcement. Procopio says in order to keep boots on the ground, salaries must stay competitive…
Cut 11 (12) “…make priorities.”
Officers in the New Orleans-Metairie receive the highest annual salary in the state, making $49 thousand.
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Schools and athletic events in Louisiana are now required to have an automated external defibrillator, better known as an AED. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields authored the legislation, and he says two lives have already been saved in those settings because an AED was readily available.
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The state health department will have oversite of the devices, so they are properly maintained. Fields says LDH will also provide instruction on how an AED should be used.
Cut 13 (06) “…CPR training.”
In addition to athletics Fields says there’s a need in the classroom for AEDs. Lawmakers dedicated $1.5 million to pay for the devices. Schools that don’t have a device can apply one through state education.
Fields says he’d been working on the “Jump Start Your Heart” legislation prior to the collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin in January during the Cincinnati Bengals game. He says the incident only highlighted the need for AEDs and CPR training.
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The new law also dictates that schools should have a response plan to incidents that involve the use of AEDs and CPR.