Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

There is a new sheriff in town, quite literally at Green Oaks Detention Center in Monroe, LA, as Jason Pleasant begins his second year as director at the facility for troubled young people. Pleasant brings a wealth of law enforcement experience with him, having worked for the West Monroe Police and Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office Departments. Pleasant also has extensive experience working on the administrative side of law enforcement, which he said helped him to understand the system a little more. Before he assumed his duties as the new director at Green Oaks, Pleasant was a candidate for the Monroe Police Chief position. When the title went to Vic Zordan, Pleasant said that he was encouraged to apply for the Green Oaks position and that he is thankful to the Ouachita Parish Police Jury for giving him the opportunity to make a change at Green Oaks. Pleasant said that his goal is to present a professional organization that has set high standards, as a new direction is needed for changes to be seen. Pleasant said that he is there to help the young people housed at the facility, but he wants them to understand that he will enforce the rules and be transparent with them. Pleasant also said that morale is a factor in keeping qualified people on staff, and he will use someone from the outside to help him reach his goal, but he will also utilize his personnel on hand. Pleasant said that though Green Oaks houses those who have been criminally charged, he intends to be right even if they make a mistake. He even shouldered the responsibility by saying, if they fail, it would be his fault. He says that he has a good team in place and wants the community to have a sense of pride as well as his staff as improvements are made at the facility. One of the things Pleasant is proud of is when the Police Jury approved pay raises for the employees because, as Pleasant said, "We want people to stay." Another thing that has been added is an RN will be on staff full time for the inmates, something that had been a concern at the facility. Pleasant also said that youth 18 years and younger were now at the facility when the previous age was 17 and under. There will be some cosmetic changes, such as painting at the facility in an effort to create an atmosphere of hope and change for the inmates. Pleasant knows that his job is not easy, but he says he has a good team in place, people he will depend on, and his faith will help him endure the tough times. His overall goal is to help turn some young person's life around for the better.