Find a Topic:
Biographies
28-Oct-09
Crime in Louisiana
While Louisiana saw a drop in violent crime in 2008, two of the state’s cities were in the FBI’s top ten list for murders per capita. And nationally, Louisiana ranks first in the rate of women killed by men. What factors contribute to our state’s high incidence of crime? How can we combat this challenging problem? Watch, “Crime in Louisiana,” Wednesday, October 28th at 7 p.m. on Louisiana Public Square.
James D. “Buddy” Caldwell,
Louisiana Attorney GeneralJames D. “Buddy” Caldwell was sworn in as Louisiana's 43rd Attorney General on January 14, 2008. Prior to his election as the chief legal officer for the state of Louisiana, Buddy served for 29 years as the District Attorney for the parishes of East Carroll, Madison and Tensas. As District Attorney, Buddy personally tried most major felony cases in his three-parish district achieving a 99% conviction rate.
As Attorney General, Buddy is committed to the people of Louisiana. He is committed to protecting our children from those who use the Internet to prey on our children. His High Technology Crime Unit gives presentations across the state to students, educators and parents on how to stay safe on the Internet. Buddy is committed to keeping our children safe in school. He has advocated for installing cameras in and around the perimeters of schools and in school buses. Buddy knows the importance of working together to bring criminals to justice. With this in mind he created the Attorney General's Fugitive Apprehension Unit. This unit was created for the purpose of assisting local law enforcement agencies in locating and apprehending fugitives from justice.
In 2008 Buddy had the honor of being inducted into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame. He also serves on the Executive Working Group on Prosecutorial Relations for the National Association of Attorneys General.
Buddy's roots run deep in northeast Louisiana. He was born May 20, 1946, the fourth of seven children, in Columbia located in Caldwell Parish. The family moved to Madison parish in 1949 and has lived there ever since.
Buddy attended Tallulah High School and graduated with honors. Not only did he excel in academics but also athletics. He lettered in basketball, football, and track, and played semi-professional baseball in north Louisiana. Buddy earned a Bachelor's degree from Tulane University where he also played football and ran track. In 1973 he received a law degree from Tulane Law School.
Buddy divides his time between Baton Rouge and Tallulah where he lives with his wife, Pat. Together, they have seven children and six grandchildren.
Cecile Guin, Ph.D., LCSW,
director of LSU's Office of Social Service Research and DevelopmentCecile has served as the Director of the Office of Social Service Research and Development (OSSRD), LSU School of Social Work, since 1996. She began working for LSU in 1993 as a funding consultant and Associate Professor of Research. Prior to moving to Baton Rouge in 1996, Dr. Guin maintained a private business that provided grant writing, evaluation and consultation to non-profit and governmental agencies.
In her capacity as Director of OSSRD, Dr. Guin focuses heavily upon external fund development and actively solicits opportunities for various grants and contracts that address many of the social problems inherent to Louisiana. In particular, she develops programs and seeks funding aimed at interrupting the pathway to delinquency, crime and other forms of non productivity that claim so many Louisiana children and youth, especially at-risk children and youth. Additionally, she has become an expert in truancy and death penalty mitigation and is court qualified in the areas of adult criminality, development of a criminal personality, juvenile delinquency social work and cultural poverty.
OSSRD also continues to engage in the acute post Katrina and Rita problems of those with behavioral health problems. Dr. Guin is the lead author for the recent publication: Health Care and Disaster Planning: Understanding the Impact of Disasters on the Medical Community.
Dr. Guin obtained an undergraduate degree in Sociology from LSU in 1974, a Masters of Social Work degree from LSU in 1978 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from the University of Texas in Arlington in 1991. Although her doctoral work focused on research, policy and administration, Dr. Guin’s doctoral dissertation, Juvenile to Adult Criminality in Louisiana, was prompted by her post Master's work in group homes and residential treatment facilities that provided court ordered treatment for troubled youth.
Kevin Harrison,
Asst. Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement AgencyKevin Harrison is an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Orleans Division. ASAC Harrison's area of responsibility includes Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport and Monroe. He grew up
in Assumption Parish, while his father managed Supreme Sugar Refinery near Napoleonville. He attended Assumption High School and upon graduation went to
Nicholls State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government.
ASAC Harrison then accepted an officer position with the Baton Rouge City Police Department, where he remained for one year and a half. He later accepted a trooper's position with the Louisiana State Police and was stationed in Houma. Most of his time spent with these organizations was in narcotics enforcement.
In 1986, he accepted a Special Agent position with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. He spent the next thirteen years in Texas mostly on the Mexican border and came home to Louisiana when he was promoted to the Resident Agent in Charge position in Baton Rouge. In 2002 he transferred to DEA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., to fulfill his management career path obligation where he was ultimately promoted to Associate Deputy Chief Inspector within the Office of Professional Responsibility. In 2005 he returned to Louisiana in his present position as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge.
ASAC Harrison is married to a kindergarten teacher and has two grown sons. He has five brothers and one sister. His eldest brother, Joe, is presently serving in the Louisiana Legislature as a State Representative.
ASAC Harrison received the DEA Administrator's Award twice for Exceptional Service; the United States Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service and was a Service to America Medal finalist for his search and rescue efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. ASAC Harrison presently serves on the Governor’s Drug Control Policy Board.
Lt. Colonel Ralph Williams,
Chief of Staff, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s OfficeLt. Colonel Ralph Williams, Chief of Staff, has worked with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office for the past 21 years in various uniform patrol and detective positions. He served as supervisor in narcotics and metro divisions and as commander of the School Drug Task Force, Night Supervisors, Special Community Anti-Crime Team (SCAT) and Special Response Team (SRT). While serving with EBRSO, Williams developed and implemented the very first community-oriented policing program for the agency known as SCAT. His law enforcement expertise includes, but is not limited to, policy development and implementation, SWAT tactics, community policing, firearms training and narcotics enforcement. Williams earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Southern University in 1980. Upon graduation, Williams went to the NFL from which he retired in 1987 while playing for the New Orleans Saints.
If you have a question or comment, blog it!
Some questions and comments may be included in the program.
[ Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice | Join Us | Search | Feedback ]