Tommy romero

Tommy Romero began his career in the New Iberia Sheriff’s Office in 1978, served 14 years as an undercover narcotics agent, was a state trooper and was personal security for two governors before he retired, in 2018, from the U.S. Dept. of Justice. Now, he continues his oath to serve when he will be sworn in as Iberia Parish’s new Sheriff in July.

What was a rewarding moment for you as a state trooper?

I arrested someone who had possession of over 5,000 Ecstasy pills, preventing them from hitting the streets of New Iberia.

What is one case that still comes to mind?

During the holidays in 1983, I got a call about a 15-year-old girl who had jumped into her neighbor’s front window saying that firecrackers went off in her house and everyone was dead. On my way to the scene, I was delayed when an elderly lady in the car ahead of me stalled at a busy stop light. Turned out, the owner of the home was a bookie and the collector had entered and lit some firecrackers to divert the sound of his shooting five people in the home.I think the old woman was an angel who prevented me from encountering the murderer, minutes before and getting shot myself.

How does technology affect your work?

Because of the dark web, I think kids should be 18 before they have a smartphone. That said, I think the iPhone has its place in helping report a crime. I’d like to have an iPad App where residents could send a message or a photo tied to a suspicious or illegal activity – like a picture of a perpetrator’s license plate. A watch commander would send a police car to the area and potentially spoil the crime – with the intent of bringing crime stats down. Reports would be kept confidential.

You take office in July – what challenges will you be addressing?

Restructuring the department and surrounding myself with the right people. I want to encourage residents to have a personal dialogue with the officers. I’ll be concentrating on the crime rate, specifically tackling the drug problem. In doing that, I want to encourage the continued migration of people and businesses back into New Iberia. Once people stay, the tax base goes up and we can fix the roads – which is another concern of residents.