Port Allen, La. — A new state law will strip City Marshal Sonny Massey of his police powers on January 1 unless the Port Allen City Council votes to let him keep them.
Massey presented a proposed ordinance to the Public Safety Committee on July 30 asking the council to formally authorize his office’s law enforcement operations in Ward 3. What looked like a routine request is actually a deadline driven by House Bill 1038, signed into law on June 9 by Gov. Jeff Landry.
The law requires marshals across Louisiana to get approval from their local governing authority to exercise police powers. Without it, marshals in smaller jurisdictions like Port Allen can only make arrests inside a courtroom starting January 1, 2027…