Memorial Day saw many people relaxing and enjoying the cool waters of Hemps Creek, one of the parish’s favorite swimming locations on LA 460; however, safety concerns prompted law enforcement officials to issue a stern warning through social media resulting in backlash from the public. According to LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office CEO and Sheriff-Elect Lane Windham, the intent was never to shut down the creek, but rather to prevent a tragedy from occurring. “Our priority is and always will be public safety” Windham said. “It had just gotten to the point where we needed to step in and address a dangerous situation before something terrible happened.”
The CEO said at the start of the Memorial Day weekend Friday complaints started to be received by LPSO officials about traffic being disrupted at the bridge over Hemps Creek on LA 460 (near Shady Grove Pentecostal Church). The callers reported large groups of people parked along the highway with four wheelers and side-by-sides darting across the highway and in some instances, causing motorists passing through to stop suddenly to avoid hitting them.
Local residents who live in the area who witnessed the scenes throughout the weekend said anywhere between 60-80 vehicles were parked at certain times along the highway near the Hemps Creek Bridge, many with trailers attached which were used to haul ATVs to the location. They also reported that many of those vehicles were from people who do not live in LaSalle Parish.
“We also had reports of children being in the roadway as well, so we had to do something before a tragedy occurred,” he said.
After fielding calls Saturday and Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office released a statement via Facebook on Sunday which stated: “Due to numerous complaints by motorists and private land owners, parking along LA 460 near Hemps Creek Bridge will no longer be permitted. This is illegal and poses a danger to travelers along the highway. Effective immediately, vehicles caught in viol ation after a warning will be towed at the owner’s expense, and citations will be issued.”
The post included images of the bridge area, a copy of the state law relating to parking on shoulders and various signs.
Within minutes social media erupted, with many posting negative complaints about the LPSO response. Within three days, that one post garnered 370 comments and was shared 340 times.
“I think somewhere along the way through the social media world this issue was changed from its original purpose,” Windham said. “We were simply looking out for the safety of everyone and trying our best to prevent someone from being hurt or even worse.”
Late Memorial Day Monday, the Sheriff’s Office issued another social media post, clarifying their intent, which stated: “In order to help serve and protect the public’s interest, we would like to clarify the matter of parking on the shoulder of Highway 460 near the Hemps Creek Bridge. Various entities on social media are spreading misinformation that the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office (LPSO) is not allowing the public access to any point of entry onto Hemps Creek. This is far from the truth. The public may still access Hemps Creek anytime they so choose. The reason we are asking the public not to park on the shoulder of Highway 460 is due to several complaints LPSO has received concerning public safety. Some of those complaints have been children in the roadway, 4-wheelers and side-by-sides entering traffic from the shoulder of the road, vehicle doors opening into the roadway, and various amounts of trash being left behind, which has included broken glass bottles and even some drug paraphernalia that has been found.
For the time being, due to these complaints, we are asking the public not to park on the shoulder of Highway 460. LPSO has been in contact with local and state government officials, along with local landowners, over the past few weeks to find a solution to this problem. We are asking the public to be patient, and hopefully soon a solution will be found so that the public can park and access Hemps Creek without having to park on the shoulder of the roadway.
We want to stress the fact, again, that the public’s safety is paramount in our mission to serve and protect the citizens of LaSalle Parish. As soon as any new developments occur in this matter, LPSO will advise the public so they can be aware of them.”
This clarification post received 42 comments and 124 shares, many thanking the Sheriff’s Office for its clarification.
By Thursday, May 30, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) had erected “No Parking” signs on both sides of the Hemps Creek Bridge.
The CEO and Sheriff-Elect said it was never the intention of his department to stop people from enjoying the beauty and fun of Hemps Creek, however, it is their intention take whatever actions are necessary to keep people safe.
“With the number of complaints that we received that weekend, for us to do nothing would have been negligent of duty on our part,” he said. “And if something terrible would have happened the public would have held us accountable for not addressing it.”
“We are sorry if there was any misunderstanding but we still believe that these actions were and are necessary for the safety of everyone,” Windham concluded. “If anyone has any questions, please contact our office and we will answer those.”
