Commissioner who oversees discipline at State Police resigns amid investigation into alleged corruption
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BATON ROUGE - A member of the Louisiana State Police Commission, which oversees discipline at the agency and whose members are appointed by the governor, has resigned months after she fell under the microscope of a corruption investigation.
Sabrina Richardson submitted her resignation letter Wednesday, Governor John Bel Edwards' office told WBRZ.
Richardson, an NOPD captain, was caught up this year in a broader probe at New Orleans Police examining payroll problems there. WBRZ was the first to link Richardson to her role on the State Police Commission, which meets monthly in Baton Rouge, amid the investigation at NOPD.
Richardson, and other members of the board, are appointed by the governor and have final say over disciplinary action for state troopers. Earlier this year, law enforcement watchdogs raised questions about why Richardson stayed in her role.
"The fact now that it’s been publicly disclosed that Capt. Richardson is under an internal investigation within the police department and also allegedly under investigation by law enforcement external to the police department for possible criminal violations, I think that that should trigger her voluntary resignation," Rafael Goyeneche, who works with the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said in March.
While at NOPD, Richardson used to run the department's Public Integrity Bureau—which investigates claims of wrongdoing in the NOPD—and once served as a spokeswoman for the agency.