St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert can remove the “interim” label now that voters elected him to the post he took over when former Sheriff David Naquin retired over the summer.

The new sheriff said he has plans to expand and improve on work in which he has already been involved. Hebert said he has worked for the Sheriff’s department for 28 years, 15 of which he served as chief deputy under Naquin.

 Naquin said he supported Hebert for the role of sheriff because he thought he was the “most qualified and best man for the job.”

“He is going to do some things different than us (Naquin’s administration), but at the end of the day he’s going to improve on what I have done throughout my four terms,” Naquin said this morning. “We’re very excited for him.”

Hebert this morning said he plans to do some things differently, but mostly because things in law enforcement have changed so much over the years.

“There used to be a time when you would ride around with a pen and notepad. Today, every car has a computer and everything is so technical,” Hebert, who has served under three sheriffs, said. “Laws and mandates change, too. We have to evolve to do what we’re supposed to do.”

Hebert said he and Naquin were able to start many programs that he thinks he can expand. He said he would like to enhance the criminal work release program, as well as criminal patrol. He said the Sheriff’s Office just implemented a water patrol, also.

One major point of focus for Hebert is the St. Mary Parish jail, where he served as warden for eight years. Naquin said the Sheriff’s Office has been working to have the jail accredited for many years. Hebert said it is a slow, and costly, process and most facilities are not accredited.

“But the should be working towards accreditation,” he said. “We exceed the mandates. We’re very proactive. If we see a change is coming up the pipes, we start training for and implementing those changes so that when they are mandatory, we’re already ready to go. That’s with the whole department.”

Hebert said training is a priority for the office. He said they have their own training facilities and allow other municipalities and agencies outside the parish to use the facility. He would like to expand the training offered and possibly see more specialty classes.

“I’m not coming to a department that’s broken. I am fortunate enough to be working with a department that I’m proud of. All we can do is keep getting better,” said Hebert.