By Jim Mustian
The Advocate
BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday appointed a veteran trooper from north Louisiana to lead the State Police on an interim basis, tapping a career lawman considered an outsider from the agency’s beleaguered headquarters.
Maj. Kevin Reeves, a nearly 27-year veteran, takes the helm following the retirement of Col. Mike Edmonson, the longtime superintendent who announced last week that he would step down amid a series of investigations into questionable overtime charges and out-of-state travel involving high-ranking state troopers.
Reeves, 48, of Jonesboro, oversees the agency’s patrols in 29 central and northern Louisiana parishes, a massive jurisdiction that authorities said equipped Reeves with exceptional organizational skills.
“He understands the geography of Louisiana. He understands its people and its culture,” said Edmonson, who has known Reeves his entire career and promoted him twice. “I believe he is what State Police needs right now.”
Edmonson’s final day with the agency is Friday. Reeves, who will formally take the reins on Saturday, is expected to lead the agency for several weeks while Edwards searches for a permanent appointment.
“The State Police are called on to assist law enforcement in every corner of Louisiana and play a critical role in times of disaster,” Edwards said in a prepared statement. “I have tremendous confidence in Kevin’s ability to lead this agency.”
In a telephone interview, Reeves said he has been told he is a candidate to become the permanent superintendent. State law requires the next chief be chosen “from the ranks of sworn, commissioned State Police officers who have graduated from the State Police training academy.”
Edwards plans to name Edmonson’s permanent successor by June.
Reeves said he hopes “to earn the trust and confidence of my peers within the department, as well as the trust of the citizens we serve.”
“I’m planning to be transparent and realize that our department is accountable to the public,” he added.
Reeves said the governor has granted him full authority to make changes, but he said it would be too soon to offer any specifics Wednesday. “I have some time to get my feet on the ground,” he added.
Reeves takes the helm at a time of turmoil within State Police. The agency has been rocked by a scandal involving a group of troopers who charged taxpayers thousands of dollars in overtime and made pricey overnight stays in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon while driving to a law enforcement conference last year in San Diego.
That “side trip,” as Edmonson has called it, prompted an internal investigation and a separate audit of State Police travel ordered by Edwards. The state Legislative Auditor’s Office also is reviewing State Police travel records.
Several troopers also were served recently with federal subpoenas as part of an FBI investigation into unlawful political contributions made by the Louisiana State Troopers Association.
Several people familiar with the appointment described Reeves as a safe pick who will bring a fresh perspective to the agency’s Baton Rouge headquarters. Edwards, in his statement, said Reeves “assumes this responsibility with a wealth of knowledge and the respect from his colleagues across the state.”
“I have not heard one person say anything negative or derogatory about him,” Rapides Parish Sheriff William E. Hilton said. “I believe the governor made a very good choice.”
A graduate of Louisiana Tech University, Reeves began his State Police career in 1990 and was assigned to motorcycle patrol in the agency’s Baton Rouge-based Troop A. By 1993, he had moved to Troop F in Monroe, where worked undercover narcotics investigations and also served as a squad leader for the agency’s mobile field force. He was appointed commander of Troop F in 2008.
Asked how he differs from Edmonson, Reeves said he is “probably a lower-profile person” than the departing superintendent.
“Mike was very good at interacting with the media and with the public,” he said. “It’s going to be something I’ll have to get accustomed to.”
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©2017 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.