Port of Vermilion enhances security: law enforcement with bulletproof vests
VERMILION PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- The Abbeville Harbor and Terminal District, known as the Port of Vermilion, has collaborated with local law enforcement to enhance the safety and security of its operation.
Executive Director Nick Gautreaux said the port's security is important for the parish and the district but also for the welfare of the citizens and taxpayers who pay the taxes that allow the port to operate.
"The reason we do it is because our district is made up of rural Vermilion Parish and also the city of Abbeville," Gautreaux said.
He said by collaborating with the Abbeville Police Department and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office, they can use resources more wisely and more efficiently for the taxpayers.
“Enhancing the safety, maybe video surveillance also the ports of the areas within the district in case something has happened could be that someone comes into the port to do something and the next thing you know is we're able to track exactly where everyone went," he said.
He said the first step they took was providing bulletproof vests for the local officers who are patrolling the port areas.
"They patrol areas down south in the rural areas, which the sheriff's department does, and then within the city, we have people who patrol our district which is city police,” he said.
The port is located at the intersection of LA HWY 690 and the Vermilion River, five miles south of Abbeville. With a maximum controlling depth of 12 feet, the port provides a protected docking area for vessels navigating the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Freshwater Bayou Channel. The U.S. Coast Guard is also there.
“We also have a main boat launch down in Intercoastal City where traffic could come in and out. There's boating that can launch. We also have the Intercoastal Waterway that meets up with the Vermilion," Gautreaux said.
"So all those areas would be protected as far as surveillance goes and also making sure that people have the opportunity to feel safe in their environment while they're in those areas," he continued.
Gautreaux said the port is trying to protect the integrity of the port as well as its clients and tenants.
“Operating with law enforcement and collaborating with the community is going to be a plus for Vermilion Parish," he said.