Ouachita Sheriff's Award

As part of its new Leaders in Law Enforcement Award, Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA) is honoring one Louisiana sheriff's department for exceptional work in their field. The 2020 awardee is the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Department. Their program Deputies Making a Change (DMAC) provides mentoring to address the incarceration and school dropout rate among vulnerable male youth in Ouachita Parish. DMAC was implemented by Deputy Kenneth Tramble with the support of Sheriff Jay Russell and a staff of experienced deputies. In 1998, while working as a deputy in the patrol division, Tramble had a desire to make a change in young men's lives. Deputy Tramble, along with Lt. Eric McElroy and Cpl. Marvin McFarland, continues to remind the mentees "you cannot let where you come from dictate where you will go in life."

Photo -1 DMAC Graduates included DMAC Program Mentors, SGT Eric McElroy, CPL Marvin McFarland, Deputy Kenneth Tramble, Deputy Jennifer Belton and Major James Ratcliff.