Name: Dickie Fremin

Age: 65

Hometown: New Iberia

Experience:

U.S. Air Force from 1975-1979; U.S. Air Force Reserves in 1979 for 24 years; New Iberia Police Department for 25 years, retiring as captain; Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office for 16 years; employed with Metal Shark from January 2020 in the pre-rig department.

Why are you running for New Iberia City Marshal?

I was born and raised in New Iberia. I’ve spent my entire career on the streets of New Iberia, protecting and serving our community. After retiring almost two years ago, I thought my career in law enforcement was over but then this opportunity presented itself and I felt it was the perfect opportunity for me to continue to protect and serve our community. When you’ve been a cop as long as I have, it is who you are. Serving the public is in my blood and I am looking forward to having another avenue to protect and serve New Iberia.

What is your vision for the Marshal’s Office?

First and foremost, I want to restore the credibility and integrity to the Marshal’s office. There have been issues in recent years with the office and I want to restore the office’s reputation. I’m not a politician, this is not about politics. It’s not about carrying a gun and a badge. It is about serving the citizens as an officer of the court. It’s about being more accessible to the people. I will have a Marshal’s office that is open to the public, Monday through Friday, 8:30 – 4:30. I am committed to building the office up, working with the Mayor, the city prosecutor and the City Council to get the budget back on track.

What distinguishes you from the list of candidates currently running?

I am the only candidate to have served my entire career on the streets of New Iberia. I am also the only candidate to have worked with both the New Iberia Police Department and the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, and I left both on good standing. I have excellent relationships with both departments and administrations. They know me, my work ethic, my integrity and they feel comfortable leaning on me for any assistance they need. I am the only candidate that can testify in court as a credible witness. With recent events in the marshal’s office, credibility is key. If you cannot testify as to the validity of your actions while serving subpoenas, warrants, evictions, etc. then you are not qualified to perform the job as the Marshal. As a law enforcement officer, your entire job comes down to one thing – your word. Once your word and credibility are gone – anything you do is subject to be thrown out of court.

What have you learned while campaigning for city marshal?

During the campaign, I have learned many things and many lessons, in particular, what people want and expect in their City Marshal’s Office. The most important thing they have asked of me is that, if elected, I clean up the image of the office as it reflects on our city. My response is simply that I am the best man for that job. I have worked in this city for many years, always working with integrity and fairness. As a captain with both the New Iberia Police and the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, I understand what it means to lead with integrity and to put service above everything else. When I started my campaign, I believed it was my experience that would set me apart from the other candidates, but during the course of the campaign, I have learned that it is my history of integrity, commitment, and values that people are most interested in. The citizens deserve a Marshal with unquestionable character to serve and protect them.