‘Sleep Tight’ Post From Louisiana Sheriff’s Office Gets Mixed Reactions After Failed Tax Vote

AMITE — Tangipahoa Parish voters on Saturday rejected a 10-year three-quarter-cent sales tax that would have generated nearly $25 million for the Sheriff’s Office. Complete but unofficial returns showed the proposal failing 57–43, after a similar, perpetual measure failed 52–48 in March.

Hours later, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook: “The people of this parish have spoken. TPSO will continue to work understaffed and underfunded… Sleep tight tonight, Tangipahoa, while just 9 deputies work to protect all 139,000 of you.” The message thanked residents “for the honor to serve.”

Mixed public reaction: support, criticism, and questions

Reaction to the post was immediate and very polarized, to say the least. Many commenters praised deputies and urged higher pay, while others called the message “tacky,” “passive aggressive,” or risky for publicly noting overnight staffing.

Some residents argued the post implied deputies might “turn an eye,” while others countered that city police departments also patrol within municipal limits, not just TPSO.

Regional outlets amplified the exchange, highlighting Sheriff Gerald Sticker’s pitch that the tax equated to about 75 cents on a $100 purchase and noting the widened margin of defeat compared to March.

Context: recent cases and outside metrics

TPSO’s website in recent days has featured multiple state police notices about officer-involved shooting investigations in the parish, underscoring the department’s active caseload.

Separately, advocacy site Police Scorecard reports that from 2013–2023, Tangipahoa deputies made 27,778 arrests, 60% for low-level, non-violent offenses, and records four police killings in that period—figures being circulated in social media discussions. The site also lists 97 homicides with 12 unsolved. (Police Scorecard’s data are compiled from public sources and may not reflect the Sheriff’s Office’s internal statistics.)

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What’s next

Beyond the sheriff’s proposal, voters narrowly rejected a 4-mill property tax for parish health units and approved a 2-mill property tax for public works and lighting districts, according to local reporting.

Parish leaders and the Sheriff’s Office have not yet detailed next steps after the failed measure, but staffing, pay scales, and alternative funding ideas are now central to the public conversation.