The Legacy of Paul Carmouche
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 1:12pm

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by Brady O’Callaghan and Scott Crichton

The dust has settled after last fall’s grueling Congressional race, and the time has come to examine the legacy of our departing district attorney, Paul Carmouche. The citizens of Caddo Parish should take this opportunity to reflect on the debt of gratitude that they owe to Mr. Carmouche for his 30 years of excellent service. District Attorney Carmouche has established a record of quiet strength, bringing our prosecutor’s office into the 21st century with integrity and fairness. He has served as a mentor to scores of attorneys who have given their own remarkable service to this community and many others. His former assistants have gone on to careers as prosecutors throughout the state and country, various U.S. Attorneys’ offices, prominent civil and criminal practices, and judicial positions at the district and appellate levels. His tenure should be remembered as one of dedication to the changing needs of the citizens of Caddo Parish.

A Record of Change

Paul Carmouche inherited a small office oriented to meeting the crime
problems of that time. As the criminal justice system grew to meet greater
challenges, Mr. Carmouche added divisions to address juvenile offenders, domestic violence, delinquent child support obligations, hot checks and white collar crimes. He showed his concern for victims’ rights by creating a victim assistance unit, and demonstrated his commitment to fairness by instituting a pretrial diversion process to provide an alternative path for offenders who could be rehabilitated without the need of a criminal conviction. He created divisions for screening sex crimes and homicides to ensure that those gravest offenses were investigated and evaluated by experienced, expert prosecutors. District Attorney Carmouche brought modern technologies for document and office management to the parish, implementing two separate upgrades of the case-tracking computer software used to ensure that criminal records are kept in a reliable and readily accessible manner.

A Record of Public Safety

Mr. Carmouche has demonstrated a commitment to seeking harsh penalties for offenders who place the community at risk. During his tenure, DWIs were given high priority, with assistant district attorneys ordered to seek stern penalties and to try any offenders who would not accept responsibility for their actions. All sex offender prosecutions were reviewed by the administration to ensure that the offenders received the greatest possible sentences in such difficult cases. Caddo Parish secured one of only two death sentences for a child rape in the entire country before the United Sates Supreme Court prohibited executing such offenders. State v. Davis, 2008-1378 (La. 12/8/08), ___ So. 2d ___. The Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office has taken scores of violent felons off the streets for illegally possessing firearms, preventing untold future violence.

Under District Attorney Carmouche’s guidance, Caddo prosecutors have followed a policy of enhancing the sentences of career criminals using the state’s habitual offender laws, greatly raising the stakes for the perpetrators of violent crimes and drug offenses over the last 30 years. Thousands of violent repeat offenders are serving deservedly lengthy sentences because of the district attorney’s aggressive use of this law. Mr. Carmouche has worked hard to hire and retain experienced prosecutors to ensure that the people of Caddo Parish and the victims of crime would have strong advocates in all legal proceedings.

His commitment to public safety did not stop at the door to the courthouse, however. Mr. Carmouche served as the President of the North Louisiana Crime Lab Commission, working to secure funding for coroners and crime labs throughout the region and see that modern investigative techniques were available and being used. He has served on several state committees and task forces regarding all aspects of public safety and law enforcement, including sentencing guidelines, child fatalities and sexual abuse.


A Record of Integrity

Even as a congressional candidate, District Attorney Carmouche never used his office to grandstand or grab media attention. Mr. Carmouche has labored to ensure that the law and the evidence have dictated the course of prosecutions, not politics or public opinion. His office has sought and
obtained convictions despite some defendants’ influential friends and families. Just as importantly, many times Mr. Carmouche has stepped away from a prosecution because the law, evidence, or simple justice required it, even though doing so exposed him to criticism for being unduly lenient. During the recent attacks regarding a habitual offender released after one year, Mr. Carmouche never tried to distance himself from what occurred, even though the inmate’s release was the result of a clerical error by another agency, not an act of leniency by his prosecutors.

Mr. Carmouche has earned the respect of countless law enforcement and community leaders, having served with six different Shreveport mayors, at least as many police chiefs, multiple Caddo Parish sheriffs, and countless officials from the smaller towns like Vivian and Greenwood that make up our parish. Given the potential for conflict involved in working with so many different agencies and officials, our District Attorney’s longevity is truly astounding. His tenure as the longest serving Caddo Parish district Attorney has equaled the durability of the iconic Harry Connick Sr. of Orleans, yet he has avoided the controversy and scandal that can so often attend the career of a Louisiana politician. His annual state audits have always come back clean, reflecting that he has been a worthy custodian of the millions of dollars in public funds for which he has been responsible over his career. His integrity and commitment to fairness have strengthened the foundations of our criminal justice system for years to come.

A Legacy to Honor

Few people outside of the legal and law enforcement community appreciate how vital the district attorney is to the quality of life enjoyed by the citizens. The best police in the world accomplish little unless their arrests are turned into convictions. News stories about crime pale in comparison to the experience of an actual victim, someone who needs an advocate to seek justice in our courts. At the same time, the district attorney’s powers are vast, allowing him to charge a crime with only his signature. Mr. Carmouche’s fairness and judgment always served as internal safeguards against any abuse of that power. He has defined the phrase that has become a cliché, “tough but fair.” District Attorney Carmouche established a community governed first by the rule of law, protecting the rights of defendants and innocent citizens alike. While District Attorney Charles Rex Scott has a similar record of dedicated service to justice, a milestone passed when he took office on January 8, 2009. The oath that Mr. Carmouche first took in January 1979 and those for each term thereafter have been honored in all respects. We thank Paul Carmouche for a job well done.
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Brady O’Callaghan is a Caddo assistant district attorney and Scott Crichton, a former assistant DA, is a Caddo district judge.

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