Annual Police Jury Convention Being Held in Shreveport

The 92nd Annual Police Jury Association of Louisiana Convention got underway this morning, and this year it's being held at the Shreveport Convention Center.

Stacy Brown with the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau said this weekend's event hasn't been in our area for a few years.

"This convention is really big business for Shreveport-Bossier. They have about 1,000 attendees spending about 2,500 nights in our hotel rooms, when you combine those room nights," Brown said. "So we're excited to have them coming, spending money in our community, going out to our restaurants, our attractions, and having a great time in Shreveport-Bossier."

The event, which runs through Saturday night, is expected to generate an $800,000 economic impact for our area. But Caddo Parish Commissioner Ken Epperson said it's about much more than that.

"The entire bottom line and the basis for a convention of this magnitude and this stature is the educational process that it allows for all 64 parishes in the state of Louisiana's members," Epperson said. "We're gonna have ethics training, we're gonna have training in economic development, we're gonna have drainage, we're gonna have public works, we're gonna have governmental affairs, Veterans and Military Services Committee. All of those areas of enlightenment and education will be available to all of our members."

Shreveport Convention Center General Manager Charlton Northington said his staff is excited to have this group here in our area.

"We're gonna have 200 employees here that are gonna be servants to these thousand attendees, and providing food and beverage, meeting rooms, meeting space, just the whole gamut of entertainment for this convention," Northington said. "We'll complete the event at the Municipal Auditorium, which is an historic landmark. That will take place Saturday night, and we're looking forward to that event, as well."

Of course, Hilton Shreveport will be hosting a lot of these guests. General Manager Don Cook said his employees are looking forward to serving our visitors.

"It's a great economic impact-driver to the city to have such a great group here, and it goes further than that," he said. "We have 100 or so associations that are over at the Hilton that get the opportunity to make it the home away from home for all of the people that are coming into this city, and that's what they enjoy doing. And it filters down from there."

The group has a full slate of events scheduled for Friday, March 4, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending some time around 8 p.m. Saturday's sessions begin at 9:30 and wrap up with the Association Banquet & Dance at 7 p.m.