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Col. Mike Edmonson of the
Louisiana State Police, left,
stands with an RCMP mountie.
Col. Mike Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, hosted a law enforcement exchange in March between criminal interdiction offices from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Louisiana State Police, a continuing effort to foster cooperation and the sharing of knowledge between law enforcement agencies. The exchange completed a three-year planning project.
Members of the LSP Criminal Patrols Program traveled to Atlantic, Canada, in September, where they worked with members of RCMP’s Roving Traffic Unit.
State troopers assisted the RCMP mounties with the interdiction of illegal tobacco, marijuana, wanted fugitives, and DWI enforcement. Troopers noted the prevalence of both marijuana and illegal tobacco, but also noted the politeness of the Canadian motoring public, as even the arrested subjects would often apologize for taking the officer’s time.
This weeklong exchange ended with a press conference where the RCMP’s commanding officer for Policing Services in the Province of New Brunswick personally thanked the troopers for their service.
“One of my immediate goals as state police superintendent is to build stronger relationships with other law enforcement agencies, whether it be local, state, federal, or even international,” Edmonson said. "It is through these partnerships that we gain the knowledge and expertise we need to be an effective and well-educated law enforcement agency."
In March members of the RCMP’s Roving Traffic Unit reciprocated when they traveled to Louisiana to work with the LSP Criminal Patrols Unit. When RCMP members arrived in New Orleans, they received an orientation and immersion into New Orleans culture and cuisine and then began work in the Troop L area with their state police partners.
During the weeklong exchange covering numerous parishes, troopers and mounties seized 3.25 kilograms of cocaine, 1,400 pounds of marijuana, a firearm, and $136,000 in U.S. currency.
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Highway Patrol/State Police Memorial