Central Police Department Growing

Central Police Chief James Salsbury speaks with justifiable pride on the improvements he has made in the department over the past four years — with the support of Central Mayor Jr. Shelton and the Central City Council.
When Chief Salsbury took over in 2014, the force was small and had assumed very few responsibillities for law enforcement in the City of Central.
State law requires that a city police department handles all crashes within the city limits within five years after incorporating. Central took a little longer but has now fully taken over that responsibility. Louisiana State Law Title 32 RS 32:398 Accident Reports, Subsection D provides, “It shall be the duty of the Police Department of each city or town to investigate all accidents required to be reported by this section when the accidents occur within the corporate limits of the city or town.”
Chief Salsbury said the Central Police Department is now a full-time police department with officers on duty 24/7.
The staff has grown from a small all-volunteer force to eight part-time employees who work at least 30 hours a week and reserves who work 30 hours a month.
Under his administration, the department has moved from a one-room operation in rented space to its own building at the corner of Hooper and Sullivan roads. The station is a safe zone for people making transactions or exchanging children with spouses.
Central’s financial commitment to law enforcement has gone from $234,784.11 in 2014-2015 to $655,092.21 in 2018-2019.
The budget for the Central Police includes dollars allocated to East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office for extra duty officers at $30/hr.
The Central Police Department works criminal cases within the city when an incident occurs within the city and CPD is the closest unit to respond. The chief said the Central Police Department continuously monitor EBRSO radio.
As to the future, Chief Salsbury said eventually the day may come when the Central Police Department takes over the Sheriff’s Central Substation.
However, the department will probably rely on the Sheriff’s office for many things for years to come. He said, “We have so little crime here that it would not be economical to duplicate many services provided by the sheriff.”
Chief Salsbury was elected Central’s chief of police in 2014. He is currently a candidate for reelection. His opponent is long-time deputy Roger Corcoran.