Louisiana state trooper used police database to stalk ex, napped on duty, records show

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A State Police trooper has been suspended for using law enforcement databases to stalk his girlfriend and taking lengthy naps on duty at the same woman's home.

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An internal investigation found Dedeaux misused state databases on at least five occasions.

"Troop C's desk and dispatch logs do not reflect that you conducted the above referenced searches for work-related purposes," Col. Kevin Reeves, the State Police superintendent, wrote in a disciplinary letter to Dedeaux.

Dedeaux's disciplinary records were released Thursday in response to a public records request.

Dedeaux was suspended for one week but has appealed that discipline to the Louisiana State Police Commission, the body that serves as a civil service board for state troopers.

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A State Police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

In the case of Dedeaux, the records show the Thibodaux Police Department opened a criminal investigation after Dedeaux's girlfriend alleged that he was "stalking and harassing her." The criminal complaint was ultimately "withdrawn," Reeves wrote in the disciplinary letter, but an administrative inquiry found the trooper violated "multiple State Police policies and procedures."

Dedeaux also admitted to taking frequent and lengthy naps and watching television while on duty at his girlfriend's home. Reeves' letter said Dedeaux "typically stayed there for an hour and half" but adds that he sometimes stayed longer.

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Unlike many law enforcement agencies in the state, the Louisiana State Police do not track troopers' whereabouts with GPS or computer-aided dispatch, a staple of American policing since the 1970s that increasingly has been used to boost accountability and quicken police response times.

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