Politics
Louisiana sheriffs direct opioid settlement funds to law enforcement gear and equipment
While some departments funded treatment programs, an investigation found that much of the state's unique law enforcement carve-out was spent on items like surveillance cameras and safes.
The short version
- Louisiana is the only state nationwide that directs 20% of its opioid settlement payouts to local sheriffs, representing the largest law enforcement carve-out in the country.
- An investigation by KFF Health News and three Louisiana media outlets revealed that of the $8.1 million in documented expenditures, roughly $5.4 million was spent on equipment and services deemed inappropriate by an expert review panel.
- A total of 20 sheriffs did not disclose their spending details, leaving approximately $10.7 million in allotted funds completely hidden from public view.
- The Louisiana state legislature has ordered an audit of all parish and sheriff opioid expenditures to be completed before the 2027 legislative session.
Key facts
- Louisiana directs 20% of its opioid settlement allocations to locally elected sheriffs, who maintain independent budgets and are not required to proactively report their spending.[STAT]
- Out of 64 sheriffs contacted via public records requests over five months, 38 reported spending details totaling over $8.1 million, while 20 sheriffs did not provide their expenditures.[STAT]
- An independent three-person review panel assembled by KFF Health News determined that $5.4 million—about 66% of the reported spending—was inappropriate, including expenditures on homicide detective overtime, automated license plate readers, and evidence safes.[STAT]
- Nearly 60% of the reported spending ($4.7 million) went toward items or services prohibited by other states, such as mobile phone data extraction technology and automated external defibrillators.[STAT]
- Nine sheriffs spent their combined $1.8 million in allocations on programs deemed appropriate by the panel, such as in-jail addiction treatment programs and officer training to respond to overdoses.[STAT]
- The Louisiana state legislature passed a resolution in May calling for the legislative auditor to review settlement spending before the 2027 legislative session.[STAT]
What remains uncertain
- It is currently unknown how the 20 non-responsive sheriff departments spent their combined $10.7 million in allotted funding, including nearly $4 million allocated to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.[STAT]