Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LAPLACE — To improve public safety in St. John the Baptist Parish, Sheriff Mike Tregre announced the completion of a radio communications tower that will greatly enhance 911 communications radio coverage in the community.

The new tower is a 460-foot tall, three-point structure constructed on SJSO property behind its Patrol Headquarters in LaPlace.
Radio communication between first responders was extremely difficult during Hurricane Isaac, according to Tregre. A partnership between the St. John Sheriff’s Office and the Parish to erect a new tower greatly improves communication and safety especially during emergency events, Tregre said.

Chief Steve Guidry and Lt. Conrad Baker spearheaded the project for the Sheriff’s Office. Construction of the new tower, costing $990,000, began in October 2019 after SJSO was chosen as the recipient of a $562,000 Port of Louisiana security grant from FEMA. The remaining balance of $428,000 is covered through 911 Communications funds.
The tower, built by Daley Tower of Lafayette, allows for clear, concise radio communications with three different backup systems for first responders including the sheriff’s office, local fire departments, and parish government. It also provides auxiliary capability for emergency operations centers throughout south Louisiana to communicate directly with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management in Baton Rouge during emergencies, such as hurricanes, when cellular and fiber communications are lost. The costs of cellular and cable connections for the crime camera network also are eliminated since the new tower does not require these connections.
In addition, this new tower allows officials to simulcast with our other tower site on the Marathon Petroleum LX site in Mt. Airy to eliminate the ‘dead zones’ in the parish.
Joining Tregre for the ribbon cutting were elected officials U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, who was instrumental in assisting the parish in obtaining the port security grant for the project, State Rep. Greg Miller, State Sen. Gary Smith and Parish President Jaclyn Hotard.
Also on hand were several officers with the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office; Parish Administrative, Public Safety and Fire staff as well as council members Tammy Houston and Lennix Madere; Joey Murray and Mike Tabb of Murray Architects, who designed the building for the tower equipment; and Jason Vance, Lance Cooper and Lloyd Armstrong of Bearcom Destrehan.
Also recognized during the ceremony were Luke Guillory, Kody Vicknair and Barry Firmin of Reserve Telecommunications; Dane Rouchon of Daley Tower; and Chuck Cassard of the Ascension Parish Sheriff Office.