Will Sutton: A Louisiana parish elected its first Black sheriff. It boosts a promising trend.

It took more than 100 years, but Caddo Parish will have its first Black sheriff. 

Henry Whitehorn takes office July 1. His supporters had congratulated him in November for winning the office by a one-vote margin, a victory that a court voided, ordering another runoff. On March 23, Whitehorn beat his challenger by about 4,000 votes in the do-over. Whitehorn’s supporters enthusiastically congratulated him again for winning an office they thought he had already won.

It was a welcome "twofer" for Whitehorn, a career law enforcement official who led the Louisiana State Police and served Shreveport as police chief before retiring.

With Calcasieu Parish Sheriff-elect Gary "Stich" Guillory winning election in October and St. James Parish Sheriff-elect Claude Louis Jr. winning his election in November, Guillory, Louis and Whitehorn will join four other Black sheriffs in Louisiana this summer, nearly doubling the number of Louisiana Black sheriffs.

The other Black Louisiana sheriffs are East Carroll Parish Sheriff Wydette Williams, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, St. Helena Parish Sheriff Nathaniel “Nat” Williams and St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre.

That's seven of 64 parishes with Black sheriffs, even though Black people comprise more than 30% of Louisiana's population. Despite recent progress, the number of Black sheriffs is pretty low.

Louis beat his competitor in November. Louis worked in the Sheriff's Office for more than 18 years, so he knows his way around. As pastor of Greater Deliverance Second Baptist Full Gospel Church in South Vacherie, he considers compassion a strength that he will use to lead.

In Caddo Parish, where Shreveport is located, the population is about 50% Black and 46% White. Democrat Whitehorn beat Republican John Nickelson in a highly charged campaign with obvious racial splits. The November runoff saw 43,247 people vote. Last month, 65,239 voted.

St. James Parish, where Lutcher and Gramercy are located, is about 48.9% White and about 48.1% Black. Louis beat the sheriff's chief deputy with 50.81% of the vote — a margin of 144 votes. Louis will be the first Black sheriff in a long time. The first was J.C. Oliver, who served in 1871-1872 with an appointment. Louis is the first Black elected sheriff.

In Calcasieu, where Lake Charles is located, Chief Deputy Sheriff Guillory beat five competitors, winning 60 percent of the vote, making him the first Black sheriff.

Sheriffs should serve everyone. But there is a dearth of Black sheriffs in Louisiana.

The Southern Poverty Law Center noted in a February report that Black people were about 57% of the state's local jail populations in 2019 and 65% of its prison population in 2022.

The criminal justice system includes local, parish and state law enforcement agencies; criminal and juvenile court judges and defense attorneys. It also includes sheriffs and district attorneys, two of the most powerful positions in each parish. The sheriff has arrest powers and the DA has prosecutorial responsibilities.

In most parishes without city police departments, sheriffs are the big cheese when it comes to law enforcement and tax collection. Sheriffs also seize property and evict people when judges issue the appropriate writs.

Sheriffs are responsible for local jails, too.

Caddo Parish, for instance, has 1,463 people behind bars. Of those, 388 are White. A whopping 1,057 are Black. St. James has 65 behind bars. Twenty are White, and 43 are Black.

I submit that most Black district attorneys and sheriffs are determined to fight crime with the resources and tools they have — and they are not afraid to do their parts to lock up people who do wrong.

I submit that most Black district attorneys and sheriffs also work harder to identify root causes of crime and continuously look for ways to prevent crime, including regularly educating and visiting all communities, especially Black communities.

In an interview, Whitehorn said when he takes office, deputies and staff — and those in custody — will know that inmates are "going to be treated with dignity and fairness." He said his office will do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons, and everything will look right.

Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr. has known Whitehorn since the 1980s, when he was a young prosecutor and Whitehorn was a young undercover officer. They worked a lot of cases together. He said he's certain Caddo citizens will feel and see a difference with Whitehorn as sheriff.

Stewart added that Whitehorn will "go into our communities" to address critical issues.

Hutson, the only woman sheriff in Louisiana, said she's thrilled to see more Black sheriffs. She houses 1,213 people in the Orleans Parish jail; 1,055 of them are Black. "We're overrepresented in the criminal justice system," Hutson said, adding that Black sheriffs can "inspire our communities in different ways."

Black sheriffs make a difference when children see these authority figures talk about choices and harsh realities. That kind of diversity can help a great deal.