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Louisiana State Police legal counsel Faye Morrison, who was called upon to respond to questions posed by the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) regarding highly-public matters of alleged LSP Trooper misconduct featured in media outlets in the past few weeks.

At the LSPC meeting of Thursday, October 8, 2020, the attorney for August McKay, an LSP Trooper profiled on this WBRZ (Channel 2 in Baton Rouge) investigative report by Chris Nakamoto as having referenced a colleague as a “f—– n——,” lambasted the feature as “misinformation.” He further contended the feature led to “embarrassments to his family,” and “threats to him and his family.”  He also stated that, contrary to Nakamoto’s feature, McKay had not been removed from an undercover Federal task force and that he is, “still in that Federal task force.”  Video of the discussion of McKay in its entirety follows:

McKay’s attorney, Eric J. Hessler, makes public comments on Nakamoto’s report and the inaccuracies that he alleges are contained within it.  Thereafter, LSPC members make their own sentiments on the matter known.

As evidenced in the preceding video, LSPC Chairman Eulis Simien and LSP Legal Counsel Faye Morrison sparred over the appropriateness of having a collective group of matters on the agenda.  Simien, who is also an attorney, made it clear to Morrison that they “are” on the agenda not withstanding her contention that they are “inappropriately” on the agenda.  Morrison further made it crystal clear that there would be no substantive discussion regarding the  in-custody death of Ronald Greene.  Here’s video coverage of that segment of the meeting:

To the extent LSP legal counsel Faye Morrison engaged, the LSPC members conducted a discussion of Roanld Greene’s LSP in-custody death.

Finally, there was a brief airing of frustration on Simien’s part that LSPC members learn of matters such as the recent indictment of LSP Trooper Kasha Domingue via media reports rather than having an advanced heads up.  Video of that brief matter follows:

Chairman Simien vents frustration concerning learning of matters of LSP troopers via media reports rather than having an advanced heads up.

The LSPC meeting of October 8, 2020 in its entirety may be viewed by clicking here.

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Dr. Oscar Dantzler, who was a Democratic opponent of incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards in the 2019 election for Governor, vents his frustration regarding being denied a promotion at the Tangipahoa Parish School System and his contention that the denial was a direct result of his opposition to Gov. Edwards’ re-election efforts.

Subscribers to Sound Off Louisiana will recall our extensive interview with Dr. Oscar Dantzler at the height of the race for Louisiana Governor last year in which Dr. Dantzler indicated he had entered the race to oppose incumbent Governor John Bel Edwards due to Gov. Edwards’ “family corruption.”  As everyone knows, Gov. Edwards defeated Dantzler and all other candidates in the race and obtained a second term as Louisiana Governor.

On Friday, September 18, 2020 (one year and one day after the above feature was published), Dr. Dantzler contacted Sound Off Louisiana’s founder, Robert Burns, and indicated that he, “just wanted to quietly live my life,” after the election.  He then added, “but I guess Gov. Edwards said ‘I’m gonna show him!'”

At Dantlzer’s request, Burns met with him later that evening at Duke’s Seafood in Denham Springs.  Dantzler, who serves as a school bus driver for the Tangipahoa Parish School System, voiced his frustration that he had been denied a promotion for which he applied.  He further explained that the individual who obtained the position, “has never been a school bus driver, did not have a CDL (Commercial Driver License) license to drive a school bus, and who was not an employee of the T.P.S.S.”

That did not set well with Dantzler and, accordingly, he filed this EEOC complaint.  Though Dantzler filed in Federal Court, he indicated that, through “some means” his matter ended up being transferred to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Louisiana Office of Human Rights.  Dantzler told us at dinner at Duke’s, “how my fate ended up in the hands of Gov. Edwards, I have no idea.”  Burns joked with Dantzler in stating, “May I assume you didn’t feel, as the Allstate commercial says, that you were ‘in good hands?'”  Dantzler responded with a laugh and said, “No!  I knew immediately I was not in good hands like with Allstate.  How could the man I ran against for Governor end up being the one who would decide my case?”

Dantzler also wound up filing this Writ of Mandamus in Federal Court alleging a mass conspiracy entailing individual(s) associated with the school system agreed to support Gov. Edwards’ re-election in return for Edwards’ willingness to obtain jurisdiction over Dantzler’s complaint and then have Dantzler’s complaint dismissed after a successful re-election.

Dr. Dantzler asked to speak to our subscribers to inform them of what all he alleges is transpiring, and so we provided him with that forum (a video camera) on Saturday, September 19, 2020 for him to do so.  Here’s the video of just what all Dr. Dantzler had to say:

9/19/20:  Dantzler voices his frustration at being denied the promotion and the conspiracy he alleges transpired as part of that denial.

Documents referenced that Dantzler requested that Burns read to the audience follow:

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Friends and family display photos and calls for justice for the death of Ronald Greene while in LSP custody in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 11, 2019.

When we first broke the secrecy of LSP entailing Ronald Green’s arrest and alleged wrongful death, we made note that we felt certain that other local media and national media would soon follow our feature.  We were correct, and this feature will provide links for those features.

First, however, we want to emphasize the fact that we made a public records request for Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth’s disciplinary file on August 17, 2020.  Four days later (and after first insisting upon a check remittance for 75 cents), on August 21, 2020, we received this utterly irrelevant documentation on a traffic incident in 2009.  As revealed in the WBRZ Chris Nakamoto feature below, Hollingsworth was placed on leave four days later (August 25, 2020).  We’ll also point out that, after asking LSP to declare with “absolute certainty” that Hollingsworth’s disciplinary file did not contain nor ever did contain anything beyond the three irrelevant pages, we specifically stated we sought documentation that any trooper involved in Greene’s arrest turned off his body camera.  We’re sure the timing of LSP Col. Reeves’ disciplinary action against Hollingsworth is mere coincidence to our public records request [exit sarcasm mode].

So, having stated the preceding, let’s provide two follow-up features on the arrest of Ronald Greene:

1.  WBRZ (Baton Rouge Channel 2)’s Chris Nakamoto feature indiating that it took Reeves “more than a year” to take disciplinary action against Hollingsworth.

2.  Hot off the press:  National former STELLAR Advocate reporter Jim Mustian’s AP feature.

Mere days after Mustian left The Advocate for a much more prestigious AP position, LSP’s Col. Kevin Reeves drafted a celebratory “Letter to the Editor” seeking for The Advocate to “move forward” entailing covering LSP.  In the article, an obvious swipe was taken at Mustian:

We don’t dispute the fact that initial reporting of an incident is important. Nor do we disagree that updating issues specifically related to an incident might be important. But repeatedly referencing an incident in day-to-day stories where there is otherwise no relationship between the issues does an injustice to an agency attempting to move on and focus on the future. The Advocate makes a difficult job all the more difficult.

We would respectfully submit that it is LSP and its secretive, fraternity-like atmosphere which makes the jobs of true reporters and bloggers who seek governmental transparency “all the more difficult,” and the Ronald Greene matter is a perfect illustration of that fact!

From AP reporter Mustian’s feature:

State Police spokesman Capt. Chavez Cammon said the agency is “cooperating with federal officials” even as it conducts its own internal investigation.

Two law enforcement officials familiar with the case said State Police are investigating whether one of the responding troopers improperly turned off his body camera during Greene’s arrest. They spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Edwards “is aware of the investigation and expects that there will be a comprehensive and fair evaluation of the facts,” spokeswoman Shauna Sanford wrote in an email. “He has not seen the video.”

One retired LSP Trooper has told us that, anytime a trooper hears a call from “LA-1,” that is the highest ranking LSP Official in the State of Louisiana.  Trainees are taught early in the LSP Academy that “LA-1” is short for “the Governor of the State of Louisiana,” and that he (or she) is the Commander in Chief of LSP.  Furthermore, a communication from “LA-1” is to be given the highest priority of any call because of that position of Commander in Chief.  Given that fact, we openly question why the highest-ranking LSP official in the State of Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards, now admits that he “has not seen the video!”  We’re willing to bet that changes in short order!

If you would like to be added to our Sound Off Louisiana email list to be notified of future posts, simply go to our home page and scroll to the bottom (mobile devices) or to the top of the right-hand column (desktops).  Supply your email address within the subscribe box.  You’ll then receive an automated email from Word Press, and all you have to do is click on the blue “confirm follow” bar contained within that email, and you’ll begin receiving great posts such as the preceding one above.