Ruple to serve as interim police chief

Capt. Ron Ruple of the Mandeville Police Department will assume the role of interim police chief next year when longtime Chief Tom Buell steps down after 30 years of manning the helm.

Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price announced his decision in a letter to the City Council Thursday.

“It’s encouraging to be chosen because that means the mayor has confidence in me to do the job. It’s just easier this way,” Ruple said.

Price is in charge of appointing the next chief, but before the city begins accepting applications for the position, Price felt Ruple possesses the experience and training to perform the duty as interim chief during the selection process.

Currently, Price said, the position of chief is “in the classified service.” He wants to change that before hiring the next chief, but to do so a bill must be passed in the state Legislature to remove the chief’s position from the Louisiana Department of Civil Service.

Price said in his letter that Rep. Tim Burns, R-Mandeville, would sponsor the bill to be introduced during the next session of the legislature in April.

The declassification of the position gives the mayor the authority to hire or fire the chief without the approval of the Civil Service Board.

To help with the hiring process, Price decided to form a committee consisting of several people, including a member from the City Council, the city’s personnel director, a member of a nonprofit organization and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain.

But Mayor Pro Tem Trilby Lenfant disagreed with Price selecting Strain because of the friction created by the episode earlier this year when talks began of a possible Sheriff’s Office takeover of the Mandeville Police Department.

“The proposed takeover really bred a lot of distrust in the department with the administration,” Lenfant said. “We’re trying to heal the department and rebuild it, and I thought appointing the sheriff really isn’t appropriate.”

Strain got wind of Lenfant’s concerns, and late Friday morning, Lenfant said, Strain called her and said he would not sit on the committee. Strain could not be reached for comment Friday.

Buell announced his retirement last month after being accused in a report produced by the Louisiana State Legislative Auditor’s office of spending funds from the PD’s charitable organization, the Citizen’s Service Fund, to purchase Christmas gifts for Price and other city employees.

Federal and state investigations are currently ongoing.

Buell will retire on Jan. 2, when Ruple, a 19-year veteran with the department, will take over as interim chief.

Ruple is eligible to submit an application for the position as chief, but he said he has not decided whether he is ready to take on that responsibility.