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U.S. Attorney s Office for the Western District of Louisiana issued the following announcement on May 11.
In honor of National Police Week, Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement. This year, the week was observed Sunday, May 9 through Saturday, May 15, 2021.
“Police Week is an opportunity for us to honor our law enforcement officers in Louisiana and across the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “The men and women who serve as law enforcement officers are the unsung heroes in our communities today. They work long hours for little pay and put their lives on the line every single day when they put on their uniform to go out into our communities and serve and protect us as citizens from those who choose to reject the rule of law in our nation. We support and honor these officers who continue to work despite the adversity that they face ea
The Rev. Dr. Kejuane Artez Bates was a big man with big responsibilities. The arrival of the novel coronavirus in Vidalia, Louisiana, was another burden on a body already breaking under the load. Bates was in his 10th year with the Vidalia Police Department, assigned as a resource officer to the upper elementary school. But with classrooms indefinitely closed, he was back on patrol duty and, like most people in those early days of the pandemic, unprotected by a mask. On Friday, March 20, he was coughing and his nose was bleeding. The next day, he couldn’t get out of bed.
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The Rev. Dr. Kejuane Artez Bates was a big man with big responsibilities. The arrival of the novel coronavirus in Vidalia, Louisiana, was another burden on a body already breaking under the load. Bates was in his 10th year with the Vidalia Police Department, assigned as a resource officer to the upper elementary school. But with classrooms indefinitely closed, he was back on patrol duty and, like most people in those early days of the pandemic, unprotected by a mask. On Friday, March 20, he was coughing and his nose was bleeding. The next day, he couldn’t get out of bed.