The top law enforcement officials in the Lafayette Parish towns of Carencro and Duson have thrown their support behind Mark Garber in the Nov. 21 runoff election against Scott Police Chief Chad Leger.
According to a release issued Wednesday morning, Duson Police Chief Kip Judice and Carencro Police Chief Carlos Stout are backing Garber, an attorney and former assistant district attorney who also was employed previously as a Secret Service agent. Outgoing Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mike Neustrom also endorsed Garber more than a month before the Oct. 24 primary.
“Mark Garber is the most qualified candidate in this race and is the man who will best lead our sheriff’s department,” Judice says in the release announcing the endorsements. “His unique background will allow all law enforcement departments to benefit from the most advanced technology and methods to fight crime. I look forward to working with him in the upcoming years in making every part of Lafayette Parish safe for our families.”
Garber came within five points of winning the Oct. 24 primary outright, leading the four-candidate field with 46 percent of the vote in a low-turnout election.
“We need a sheriff with the education and the qualifications to oversee a $60 million dollar budget,” adds Stout. “Mark is a strong leader and will efficiently, effectively and respectfully manage the hundreds of men and women working under him. He has a plan to make all of our communities safer, working within the realities of the sheriff office’s allocated resources. He will be a sheriff with an open door policy. Mark is smart, qualified and exactly who we need at the helm of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.”