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By all reports, Lewis Coats is a nice guy.
“I had a reputation as a sergeant that I was a cut-up, always joking around,” the now Sulphur Police Chief said Wednesday afternoon at the meeting of the Sulphur Kiwanis Club.
“I left the force as a sergeant, and now I come back and I have 68 other guys looking up at me. You find you are carrying their feelings on your shoulders. Many looked at my reputation and figured it would be all fun at the department,” Coats said.
He had to disabuse them of that notion.
“I told everyone not to mistake my kindness for weakness,” he said.
Of course, he does care for the people working under him and tries to make sure they are cared for and have everything they need to do their jobs. Managing all the disparate parts of a modern police force has its share of pitfalls and tribulations, but Coats said that this was the right time for him to come into the position.
“It was like grabbing two tigers by their tails,” he said, “but we’re working to make the city a better place.”
Part of that is investing more time and money into all parts of police work.
“We’re going to invest a lot of time and money into our investigations division. It’s not that we aren’t doing our job, but we are a little understaffed there, and the officers are being overwhelmed,” he said.
When that happens, things get overlooked or fall through the cracks. If you have a home invasion and a bike theft, investigators are going to follow up on the bigger prize. This is something that Coats hopes to remedy with more manpower and more resources.
“Manpower is always an issues in any police department. We want to expand our manpower over the next four years,” he said.
Coats heads up a department of 68 employees, including dispatchers, patrolmen, jailers, and support personnel like secretaries and clerks. He’s recently hired four new patrolmen and two jailers, but it generally takes eight months to fully train officers.
Coats addressed fears that Sulphur’s Police Department might be or become a training ground of sorts; learn your trade in Sulphur, and then move off to a higher paying job in Texas or some other state.
“When you run a police department, you always run the risk of being a training ground,” Coats said.
Still, Sulphur’s pay scale is average for the five state region, discounting East Texas.
“We try to hire local people who will want to stay. There are always folks who want to move up to the Federal level or maybe work for the FBI or the CIA or something like that,” Coats said.
The Chief likes to keep himself available for people to contact him. He makes himself accessible to the citizens of Sulphur.
“The job isn’t just from 8 to 5. It’s the whole day and night. Anytime, day or night, if it’s serious, anyone can call me at home,” he said.
Of course, there are limits.
“Just not for a barking dog,” Coats said.
By all reports, Lewis Coats is a nice guy.
“I had a reputation as a sergeant that I was a cut-up, always joking around,” the now Sulphur Police Chief said Wednesday afternoon at the meeting of the Sulphur Kiwanis Club.
“I left the force as a sergeant, and now I come back and I have 68 other guys looking up at me. You find you are carrying their feelings on your shoulders. Many looked at my reputation and figured it would be all fun at the department,” Coats said.
He had to disabuse them of that notion.
“I told everyone not to mistake my kindness for weakness,” he said.
Of course, he does care for the people working under him and tries to make sure they are cared for and have everything they need to do their jobs. Managing all the disparate parts of a modern police force has its share of pitfalls and tribulations, but Coats said that this was the right time for him to come into the position.
“It was like grabbing two tigers by their tails,” he said, “but we’re working to make the city a better place.”
Part of that is investing more time and money into all parts of police work.
“We’re going to invest a lot of time and money into our investigations division. It’s not that we aren’t doing our job, but we are a little understaffed there, and the officers are being overwhelmed,” he said.
When that happens, things get overlooked or fall through the cracks. If you have a home invasion and a bike theft, investigators are going to follow up on the bigger prize. This is something that Coats hopes to remedy with more manpower and more resources.
“Manpower is always an issues in any police department. We want to expand our manpower over the next four years,” he said.
Coats heads up a department of 68 employees, including dispatchers, patrolmen, jailers, and support personnel like secretaries and clerks. He’s recently hired four new patrolmen and two jailers, but it generally takes eight months to fully train officers.
Coats addressed fears that Sulphur’s Police Department might be or become a training ground of sorts; learn your trade in Sulphur, and then move off to a higher paying job in Texas or some other state.
“When you run a police department, you always run the risk of being a training ground,” Coats said.
Still, Sulphur’s pay scale is average for the five state region, discounting East Texas.
“We try to hire local people who will want to stay. There are always folks who want to move up to the Federal level or maybe work for the FBI or the CIA or something like that,” Coats said.
The Chief likes to keep himself available for people to contact him. He makes himself accessible to the citizens of Sulphur.
“The job isn’t just from 8 to 5. It’s the whole day and night. Anytime, day or night, if it’s serious, anyone can call me at home,” he said.
Of course, there are limits.
“Just not for a barking dog,” Coats said.
