2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 241
BY SENATORS CARTER, BARROW, BISHOP, BOUDREAUX, COLOMB, MORRELL,
PETERSON, PRICE AND TARVER
A RESOLUTION
To commend the African-American female Louisiana State Police Troopers for their service.
WHEREAS, in 1936, the Louisiana Legislature passed a bill creating the
State Police, which emerged from a highway commission in 1922 with a force of sixteen
men patrolling the highways on motorcycles to its current status of a state police force of one
thousand sixty-three men and women responsible for all elements of criminal and highway
safety interdiction in the state; and
WHEREAS, the mission of the Louisiana State Police ensures the safety and security
of the people in the state through enforcement, education, and providing of other essential
public safety services; and
WHEREAS, State Police is an organization with an incredibly rich history, with a
motto of "Courtesy, Loyalty, and Service"; and
WHEREAS, State Troopers have faced obstacles from the inception of the
organization; however, historians have confirmed that their most challenging assignment,
along with the Louisiana National Guard, was being called to guard and protect civil rights
marchers in Bogalusa, Louisiana, in 1965 and 1967 wherein they had the task of trying to
prevent the violence and bloodshed that had scarred other cities across the nation during the
civil rights struggle; and
WHEREAS, in 1972 Colonel Donald Thibodeaux was appointed by Governor Edwin
Edwards as Superintendent of State Police and led the department through many reforms,
including the allowing of women to join the force in 1974; and
WHEREAS, it was not until 1976 when Trooper Joyce Stephanie Isaac Thibodeaux,
now deceased, who started her law enforcement career with the Lafayette City Police
Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 241 ENROLLED
Department, became the first African-American woman to join the Louisiana State Police;
and
WHEREAS, in 2019, there are only eight African-American women to wear the
uniform, who are either currently serving or have retired from the Louisiana State Police,
mainly: Master Trooper Joyce Thibodeaux, deceased, (Troop I-Lafayette, LA); Master
Trooper Joanne Rozigas, retired 2018, (Troop B-New Orleans, LA); Lieutenant Charron
Thomas, retired 2019, (Police Logistical Services-Baton Rouge, LA); Lieutenant Treone
Larvadain, (Internal Affairs-Baton Rouge, LA); Sergeant Sanikka Williams, (Criminal
Investigations-Monroe, LA); Senior Trooper Zuleika Joseph, (Gaming Enforcement-New
Orleans, LA); Senior Trooper Lisa Quijano, (Gaming-New Orleans, LA); Trooper Melissa
George, (Troop G-Shreveport, LA); Trooper Qualyndrea Jones, (Troop B-New Orleans,
LA); and Trooper Tiah Larvadain, (Troop C-Gray, LA); and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Treone Larvadain is the only African-American woman
currently serving on the force as a lieutenant; and
WHEREAS, like all troopers serving the citizens of Louisiana, these eight women
have maintained the values of the Louisiana State Police since the day they graduated from
the academy, which are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and
Personal Courage; and
WHEREAS, without a doubt, these women are dedicated to their profession and they
are also dedicated to their families as wives, mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and sisters;
and
WHEREAS, in 2018, Lieutenant Treone Larvadain and Trooper Tiah Larvadain
became the first mother and daughter troopers in the eighty-two years of the Louisiana State
Police history; and
WHEREAS, among the most well-trained law enforcement officers in the country,
these troopers are proudly and courageously paving the way for others to follow and are
inspirations for all women to never give up on their dreams.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend the African-American female Louisiana State Police Troopers for
their continued law enforcement service.
Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 241 ENROLLED
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of Master Trooper Joyce Thibodeaux, to Master Trooper Joanne Rozigas, Lieutenant
Charron Thomas, Lieutenant Treone Larvadain, Sergeant Sanikka Williams, Senior Trooper
Zuleika Joseph, Senior Trooper Lisa Quijano, Trooper Melissa George, Trooper Qualyndrea
Jones, and Trooper Tiah Larvadain.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 3 of 3