By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

LAPLACE – Brandon Mabile must figure it takes one to know one.

He is speaking about being a police officer, that is.

Mabile, 34, is a longtime local businessman who is best known by the locals for operating Mabile’s Restaurant on Airline Highway, with what some people say is the best po-boy in town. Of course a number of other local restaurants will argue that point.

But two years ago Mabile found out what it’s like to be a police officer as he decided to become a reserve deputy for the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Now offering his own time on a complete volunteer basis to be a reserve deputy, Mabile has learned what it is like to be someone trying to help with law enforcement in the region.

And it is that appreciation for the job being done by our local law enforcers that led Mabile to decide to raffle off a beautiful 2005 Yamaha Warrior XV-1700 motorcycle.

Valued at approximately $12,000, Mabile said he and his wife had purchased the motorcycle in 2004, but he has seldom ridden the bike and was thinking about selling it.

But then a friend suggested he might want to raffle it off to raise money for the Sheriff’s Office bulletproof vest fund, that is constantly in need of money to ensure all deputies have up-to-date vests.

Mabile said he jumped at the opportunity to do something more for the officers, and now is offering chances for the motorcycle at his restaurant for $10 a ticket, or three tickets for $25.

“It’s real simple,” Mabile said. “I just saw a way to give something back to the other officers and I liked the idea of doing it.”

Mabile became a reserve deputy almost two years ago, and said he has quickly gotten to know many of the officers on the force.

“The one thing I’ve certainly learned about police officers is that they are very, very under-appreciated,” he remarked. “So I wanted to do something to help out in some way and this is it.”

He said that the motorcycle was actually a wedding gift from his wife, and even though he has owned other motorcycles in the past and loved riding them, this one ended up spending most of its time in his garage.

It only has 2,700 miles on it and looks like new. It can be seen at his restaurant on Airline Highway, where tickets may be purchased.

He is hoping to sell up to 2,500 tickets and will have a drawing on November 12.

For tickets, call Mabile’s at 651-2893, or anyone who wants to send donations to the bulletproof vest fund can make the checks out to Mabile’s Restaurant, and send them to him at 1124 ‘B’ West Airline Highway, LaPlace, La., 70068.

Mabile said the raffle has the support of Sheriff Wayne Jones.