Art LeBreton, a retired Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office leader, has announced his bid for Youngsville Police Chief.
LeBreton, 59, said he initially planned to run for the office during the regular 2026 election. He changed his plans and quickly moved to Youngsville, where his wife, Misty, is from, last year after Rickey Boudreaux announced he was stepping down from the position he's held since 2015.
"It moved things along," LeBreton said. "I didn't anticipate it would be at this juncture."
LeBreton said justice is at the core of his mission, and he intends to earn the admiration of other agencies if elected to help overcome recruitment and retention challenges that are common in the law enforcement industry.
Although LeBreton once supervised Boudreaux and current Assistant Police Chief Nick Latiolais at the Sheriff's Office, LeBreton said it's time for a change at the Youngsville agency.
"It's going to take some time, I think, to repair that public trust," LeBreton said. "But with a leader that brings integrity, professionalism and discipline, I think it can be restored."
LeBreton, a Republican, spent his entire law enforcement career working for the Sheriff's Office until he retired in 2018.Â
LeBreton rose to patrol commander under the Michael Neustrom administration, during which time he was responsible for the administration, supervision and leadership of more than 120 employees and the agency was recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. He also served as the enforcement commander over uniform patrol, criminal investigations, forensics, metro narcotics, community services and critical incident management.
LeBreton also worked as a patrol field supervisor, watch commander and detective at the Sheriff's Office.
He joined the Sheriff's Office reserve unit in 1983 and became a deputy in 1984. He was class president of the 35th Acadiana Law Enforcement Training Academy and achieved the highest scholastic average of the 55th session of the LSU Law Enforcement Institute.Â
LeBreton and his wife have four children. He said he enjoys hunting and fishing at his camp in Pecan Island, cooking, entertaining and watching sports.
Other than Interim Youngsville Police Chief Cody Louviere, LeBreton is the first person to publicly announce a bid for the elected seat. Louviere also comes from the Sheriff's Office, where he most recently worked as a patrol lieutenant.Â
The primarily election is set for Nov. 5 for the police chief race, with a general election happening Dec. 7 if there is a runoff. Qualifying is July 17-19.
