Elmer Litchfield

Elmer Litchfield

Elmer B. Litchfield (January 29, 1927 – August 2, 2008) was a long-serving sheriff of populous East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, known for his modernization of law-enforcement procedures.

A Republican in an historically, but decreasingly Democratic state, Litchfield was first elected as sheriff of East Baton Rouge in 1983 and won large majorities in his five subsequent reelections. He retired because of health problems, effective December 1, 2006, with more than a year remaining in his sixth term.

Litchfield was a native of Meridian, Mississippi, the seat of Lauderdale County. He graduated from the University of Mississippi at Oxford in 1950. He served nearly two years in the United States Marine Corps.

Litchfield launched his career in law enforcement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1951. He worked as a special agent in Boston and Chicago, and eventually in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He retired from the FBI in 1979 and then served with the Louisiana State Commission on Law Enforcement until he was elected sheriff.

Colonel Greg Donald Phares (born 1956), the chief criminal deputy, succeeded Litchfield as acting sheriff. Phares, a Republican was defeated in the November 17, 2007, general election by the Democrat, Sid J. Gautreaux, III, the veteran police chief in Baker. Gautreaux polled 40,624 (52 percent) to Phares' 38,224 (48 percent) in an election with a 31 percent turnout. In the primary, Phares had led Gautreaux, 46-37 percent, but the combined overall Democratic vote was then 51 percent. Gautreaux became sheriff immediately because the election was a combination general election and a special election for the months left in Litchfield's term.

Phares declared Litchfield "one of the finest law enforcement officers I’ve ever worked for." Litchfield announced in 2004 that he would not run again and that he strongly supported Phares as his successor. Litchfield and Phares met in 1973, when Phares was serving as a city police detective, and Litchfield was an FBI agent. They worked together on a bank robbery case.