06/12/2026
SJSO Citizens Academy Week 9: Civil Division and Use of Force Simulation
Training
A use-of-force simulation training and an overview of the Civil Division
were the focus of Week 9 of the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office Citizens
Academy on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at the Lloyd B. Johnson Law Enforcement Training Center in LaPlace.
Chief Civil Deputy Jeff Clement, who oversees the Civil Department of the
SJSO, discussed property tax and occupational tax collection and
distribution, property seizures and sales, court cost and fines as he explained the administrative side of the Sheriff's Office.
Chief Civil Deputy Clement handles the budget and finances of the Sheriff's
Office. He is responsible for managing the operations budget which includes the payroll for the Sheriff’s Office 260 full and part-time employees.
The Civil Division is also responsible for collecting and distributing property taxes that are assessed annually by the parish assessor's office.
"The money we receive is put into protecting the parish,” Chief Deputy Clement said."It really is amazing what the Sheriff has done.”
For example, Sheriff Mike Tregre has invested funds to create and maintain a
network of more than 500 crime cameras that have helped investigators to identify suspects and solve crimes, Chief Deputy Clement said.
Sheriff Tregre also used the funds to build the Training Center(where Citizens Academy and other community meetings are held!) and the SWAT House, both of which are used to train SJSO personnel as well as law enforcement officers from around Louisiana and other states, Chief Deputy Clement said.
The SJSO uses Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technology to deliver some firearm training instruction.
What would you do?
During the Citizens Academy class, the training simulator provided five
virtual reality scenarios in which officers responded to calls about a disturbance.
Sometimes the suspect was armed with a weapon; sometimes they were not. In the dark, is that a weapon or a phone? Is the woman pregnant, wearing bulky clothes or hiding a weapon?
The volunteer cadet's job was to assess the situation and attempt to resolve the issue.
After each simulation, SJSO Training Instructors led by assistant training
commander Capt. Blane Rome, Jr., Lt. Jason Raborn and Deputy Thomas Wheeler, talked with participants about verbal commands and whether to use a taser or a firearm in each situation. The action and outcome for each scenario
were discussed.
It's about making the best decision with the information on hand and
executing that decision in a timely manner, Capt. Rome told the group.
"Stopping the threat is the main goal," Capt. Rome said.
Citizens Academy 2026-8 wraps up next week with a graduation ceremony for our Citizen Cadets. Stay tuned!
