Mention of the word “sheriff” may conjure up iconic names of fabled lawmen like Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok and Pat Garrett. But the role of a sheriff actually dates back to 700 AD in England and came to the US with the early colonists. Today, more than 3,000 sheriffs serve in 47 states (Dare we say, who knew?)

In this episode of IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us, we are honored to be joined by Greg Champagne, Sheriff of St. Charles Parish, LA and president of the National Sheriffs' Association.

Sheriff Champagne oversees a force of over 375 officers with far-reaching responsibilities encompassing all dimensions of public safety. The people are his constituents – and they speak with their ballots, re-electing him to his eighth term, with the last four uncontested.

Sheriff Champagne shares how the 21st century sheriff’s officers undergo state-of-the-art training to confront challenges never imagined even 20 years ago – continually adapting modern methods to meet daily demands. Officers, for example, are now equipped with virtual reality glasses enabling them to “see” what a person in crisis is experiencing, whether due to a developmental condition, mental health issues or drugs/alcohol. This has helped create better real-time understanding to defuse potentially combustible situations.

If he could change anything, Sheriff Champagne would “reset the biases and fixed opinions against law enforcement.” He urges “open-mindedness as the truth will come out.”

Oh, and he plays a mean trumpet, too – though not as often as his time in a college marching band. Still, he jams occasionally on stage and is honored to play “Taps” at military funerals as part of Bugles Across America.

Join us to learn more about this oldest continuing non-military law enforcement profession in the US. Hopefully it’ll give you new appreciation to "Support Your Local Sheriff!"

Episode Notes:
-More about this episode and the IN THEIR WORDS podcast series can be found at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/intheirwords
-Sheriff Greg Champagne's full bio: https://www.stcharlessheriff.org/258/Sheriff-Greg-Champagne
-More about the National Sheriffs' Association: https://www.sheriffs.org
-Music credit: Frederic Chopin, Waltz in B minor. Music by Nesrality from Pixabay
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