Mamou police resume L.A.C.E. patrols

The Mamou Police Department has resumed its participation in the state’s L.A.C.E. (Local Agency Compensated Enforcement) program.
Assistant Police Chief Katina Rickard headed up the move back to participation in the program, which has raised more than $100,000 in past years. The police department gets a quarter of the amount of the fines and police are paid overtime when they are on L.A.C.E. patrols.
Richard said she decided to resume those patrols “to generate revenue for the town, increase highway safety,” and to provide officers with a source of additional income.
She said she received Police Chief Greg Dupuis’ approval for revising the L.A.C.E. program in Mamou.
Richard said the state created the program to put more officers on highways throughout the state. Besides cutting down on the number of accidents caused by speeding, the increased patrols have resulted in DWI arrests, drug-related arrests and fugitives have been caught during traffic stops.