Lafayette Police Officers Receive Memo To Enforce Panhandling Laws Or Else Face Discipline

According to reports, Lafayette Police Officers are being told by superiors via a memo that they need to enforce parish panhandling laws or face discipline from the department. The memo comes after anti-panhandling signs were put up around the city earlier in the year.

See the report from @KATCTV3 on Twitter here.

According to the report by our media partners at KATC-TV3, the Lafayette Police Chief sent the message out to all uniformed officers who would receive, "progressive discipline" if not following the direction.

The memo from Chief Thomas Glover Sr. was sent to "All Department Personnel" and the subject line was only "panhandling". The full memo along with Parish ordinance on panhandling is included in KATC's report here.

Earlier in the year, anti-panhandling signs were installed across Lafayette and they received mixed reactions from the general public.

The Lafayette Police Department later released the details of an investigation that led them to believe there were drug dealers posing as panhandlers all across the city. While authorities explained that the signs were not installed as a direct response to that investigation, they reiterated the ability of anyone to dial 211 for more information on how to help those in need.

As uniformed officers in Lafayette receive more pressure from their superiors to enforce the panhandling ordinance, only time will tell if this memo does what the Chief of Police in Lafayette intended it to do.