Sheriff Julian Whittington sworn in for fourth term | News

BENTON, La. — In October, Julian Whittington won his first contested election since becoming Bossier Parish sheriff in 2012. On Sunday, he was sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Julian Whittington has been Bossier Parish Sheriff for more than a decade. The people of the parish were not ready to change.

“I was re-elected with 87% of the vote, it’s pretty phenomenal. You can't get 87% of people to agree that it's hot outside. So to win with 87%, you know, we don't do polls; I think it's a poll. Every four years people decide if they like the work we do, and I think 87 percent proves we're on the right track,” said Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington.

Whittington said he was ready to get back to work to improve the parish.

“We have a lot going on. We’ve never really stopped. We have a construction project right down the street. We’re renovating and redeveloping our criminal building, which is about a $12 million project. We’re constantly working on that project. We’re trying to work with Barksdale Air Force Base,” Whittington said.

Whittington said he knew there would be challenges along the way.

“I think salary is obviously important. There is a lot of competition. It’s hard to find good people, and so I think continuing to train and hire good people will probably be the biggest challenge we face,” Whittington said.

House Speaker Johnson came on this special occasion to swear in the sheriff.

“Well, listen, I like to show my support for Sheriff Whittington. We've been friends for a long time and he's done an amazing job for Bossier Parish. The statistics speak for themselves. It's a great community and a great place to live, and we're excited to be a part of it, and I've always been a part of his team and I want to support what they do,” said Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House.

Whittington said he would be up and running Monday morning.