First St. George mayor and police chief say they’re ensuring same services for new city

Michael Scheidt
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The first mayor and police chief in St. George spoke at a news conference on Tuesday, May 21.

Interim Mayor Dustin Yates and Interim Police Chief Todd Morris talked to the media at St. George Fire Department Headquarters, 14100 Airline Highway.

The Louisiana Supreme Court said the City of St. George could incorporate on April 26. Yates and Morris were appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry to be the interim mayor and chief of police on Tuesday, May 14.

“I’m very appreciative of this opportunity to serve the citizens of St. George,” Morris said.

He said East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux has committed to providing the same services to the new city as the parish has already provided.

“As we know, crime knows no boundaries, I want to assure the citizens I’m going to work diligently with our law enforcement partners to address any public safety concerns,” Morris said. Helping St. George will also help the surrounding areas he said.

He was asked about the possible expansion of the police department in the future.

“You know, we’ll look at it as we go forward but that would be many years down the road,” he said. There is “no hiring at this time.”

Yates said, “I’m a long-term resident of the St. George community. This is where I raised my family.”

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been appointed by Gov. Landry to serve as the first mayor, and our goal at St. George has always been to create a city where our residents want to stay,” said Yates.

He said the changes won’t happen overnight, but they’re ready to create a strong foundation for the city that will make it a place where future generations want to stay.

St. George opponents ask Louisiana Supreme Court to rehear case, say new city can’t incorporate

He said there are strong emotions on both sides of the incorporation issues, and he hopes to work with the city-parish to build a stronger East Baton Rouge Parish in the long term.

Yates also addressed national headlines and people who believe the city is a way to racially divide East Baton Rouge Parish.

“And as far as being painted in a black or white context, that’s not a new thing. That has been going on since we started the incorporation effort of the City of Saint George. All I can tell you is be honest with you, that’s not why we got involved in this,” Yates said. “If we really wanted to destroy the parish, we just would have left. But that’s not what we chose to do. We chose to stay. We chose to draw a line in the sand and say, we’re not going any further.”

He spoke about working with the mayor of Baton Rouge.

Yates said, “I’m also very dedicated to working closely with Mayor-President (Sharon Weston) Broome and her team to ensure a smooth transition.”

For now, he said, the concentration is on creating the city, not a potential school district.

Yates said there is not a lot they can do until a council is appointed, “but if I had to tell you, the first thing is to establish a very strong communication plan where we’re getting the information where it needs to be in order to ensure transparency.”

According to the City of St. George, “Yates is the chief administrative officer of the St. George Fire Department and is in his 19th year with the agency.”

They said, “Morris has 34 years of experience in law enforcement and currently serves as the chief of crimes against persons and special operations for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.”

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

BRProud Daily News

Attorney Andrew Murrell, spokesman for St. George, also talked about a potential rehearing being requested by opponents of the incorporation. He said it’s not a worry and the city will continue moving forward.

“We’re not concerned that the same panel of judges reviewing the same information they’ve already ruled on,” said Murrell. “We’re not concerned that they would come to a different conclusion because the facts don’t lie, and the law doesn’t lie. And they both supported incorporation.”

Latest News

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.