Baton Rouge Police Department

The first council meeting of Baton Rouge was held on April 13, 1818, during which five officials, referred to as selectmen, were seated. Among them was Pierre Gentin, identified as a police officer. At this meeting, four ordinances were passed, including one that established penalties for "all disorderly and drunken persons." For the time period from July 30, 1818 to May 11, 1819, Pierre Gentin, Charles Everard, and A. York received a salary from the Corporation of the Town of Baton Rouge for their roles as police officers. Between 1817 and 1859, law enforcement in Baton Rouge was overseen by a town constable, an elected official responsible for maintaining order. The town constable was supported by an assistant and later by the city marshal. During the Civil War, after Union army forces captured Baton Rouge, local law enforcement was temporarily replaced by a force appointed by James Shedden Palmer, commander of the USS Iroquois. This arrangement remained in place until Louisiana was readmitted to the Union in 1865. In 1866, E. M. Brooks was appointed Chief of Police by the Baton Rouge City Board of Selectmen, becoming the city's second Chief of Police. The first Chief of Police, Joseph Sanchez, resigned after being appointed an officer in the state penitentiary. The same year, Chief E. M. Brooks designed the first badge to be worn by each officer. Officers were not provided uniforms and were required to supply their own horses and clothing. Officers were responsible for covering these expenses from their annual salary. By 1879, police officers were paid $500 per year, contingent on their ability to furnish and maintain a horse. == Training ==

Basic Training Academy The Baton Rouge Police Training Services Division was established in 1954 following a proposal from Police Chief E.S. Arrighi to provide standardized instruction for officers. Prior to the division's creation, BRPD officers received training from Louisiana State University (LSU). The department later created its own P.O.S.T. Academy in 1955 to provide agency-specific training and direct hiring. The academy is a 22-week program that prepares recruits for law enforcement duties. The curriculum includes classroom instruction, scenario-based training, and practical exercises. Training requirements • The Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council mandates a minimum of 496 training hours for Level 1 Basic Law Enforcement Peace Officers. • BRPD provides approximately 880 hours of training during the academy. By the time officers complete field training, they will have spent approximately one year in training from their date of hire before being cleared for full duty. == Organizational structure ==

Rank structure The Chief of Police is appointed by, and reports to, the Mayor-President. The Chief is assisted by four Deputy Chiefs who are appointed by The Chief of Police. All other police positions are promotional and based on seniority, as mandated by state civil service law. == Lawsuits ==

In 2016, two BRPD officers shot and killed Alton Sterling a 37-year-old black man, while trying to detain him. The killing led to protests and demonstrations in Baton Rouge and elsewhere, leading to the arrests of hundreds of individuals. Due to the violence and arrests that erupted at these protests, local organizing groups and the Louisiana branch of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Baton Route Police Department for violating the First Amendment rights of protesting individuals. Less than two weeks after the killing of Alton Sterling, three BRPD officers were shot and killed by Gavin Eugene Long. A fourth officer who was critically wounded in the incident died from complications related to his injuries in 2022. In April 2023, Baton Rouge paid $55,000 to settle a place brutality lawsuit involving BRPD officer Troy Lawrence, Jr., the son of Deputy Chief Troy Lawrence, Sr. Lawrence Jr. was also involved in two other lawsuits that Baton Rouge settled for $86,000 and $35,000, respectively, with the latter case involving a child who had his underwear searched in public. Lawrence, Jr. later resigned in August 2023. The family additionally alleged Varnado herself was strip- and body-cavity-searched, and that one of her other children was put into a holding cell and beaten so hard that he was knocked out by BRPD officer Lorenzo Coleman. The FBI subsequently opened a civil rights investigation into the facility, and as of October 2024, 10 separate lawsuits involving the "BRAVE Cave" have been filed. == See also ==