The Lafayette Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board met Thursday to review the list of candidates vying for the top post at the Lafayette Police Department and scrubbed five of the 14 candidates because they did not meet requirements for the job. The nine remaining candidates were approved by the board to take the test for the chief position.
Among the remaining candidates, according to published reports, are:
Toby Jean Aguillard, 47, director of cyber crime prevention at Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office; 19 years law enforcement experience
James Benoit, 35, trooper for Louisiana State Police; 16 years experience
Forrest Blanton Jr. 45, LPD sergeant; 18 years experience
Vaughn Burris, captain and assistant chief with Lafayette Police, 26 years experience
Nathaniel Clark, 56, former deputy chief in Albany, Ga., and chief in Pine Bluff, Ark.; 20 years experience
Derek Pacifico, 47, retired sergeant with San Bernadino (Calif.) County Sheriff’s Office, 22 years
John Rogers, 40, former litigation specialist for Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and candidate for sheriff in last fall’s primary; 17 years
Joey Sturm, 47, UL Lafayette’s police chief; 19 years
Samuel Wyatt, 45, director of investigative audit services at LSU System; 24 years