Lt. Colonel Dane Morgan
Deputy Superintendent - Operations, Planning, and Training


Lt. Colonel Dane Morgan

7919 Independence Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806		 Biography Information
Operational Development
Research
Planning
Public Affairs
Accreditation
Joint Emergency Services Training Center
International Training Section
Training Academy


Biography Information

 Lieutenant Colonel Dane Morgan started his career with State Police in 1983 assigned to uniform patrol duties at Troop A in Baton Rouge. In 1988, Lieutenant Colonel Morgan accepted an investigators position in the State Police, Bureau of Investigation, Charitable Gaming Division.

In 1992, Lieutenant Colonel Morgan was assigned to the newly created Riverboat Gaming Division as an administrative trooper. He was instrumental in establishing the administrative regulatory processes governing casino gaming in Louisiana. This included development of gaming application forms and procedures, promulgation of administrative rules, and the litany of other administrative issues pertaining to casino gaming regulation. In 1995, Lieutenant Colonel Morgan was recognized for his valuable contribution to the development of the gaming regulatory processes by receiving the distinguished “Donald Cleveland Memorial Award” by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Louisiana Middle District. This award is presented annually to a state law enforcement officer for outstanding law enforcement service.

Lieutenant Colonel Morgan remained in the State Police Gaming Division for approximately fourteen years being promoted to sergeant, lieutenant and finally advancing to the rank of Captain.

In 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Morgan was promoted to Major of Support Services. After the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he was temporarily reassigned to supervise and coordinate the State Police DNA Identification Project of human remains. This project used DNA profiles and other scientific analysis to identify remains thus bringing closure to surviving family members.

On June 15, 2006, Lieutenant Colonel Morgan was promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Support. In that capacity, he is responsible for supervision of the State Police Crime Lab, State Police Bureau of Criminal Records, Department of Public Safety Capitol Police, and DPS Fleet Operations. These sections are critical to the operations of the Department of Public Safety, and support the law enforcement community and the criminal justice systems in Louisiana.

During his tenure, Lieutenant Colonel Morgan has attended numerous law enforcement schools and successfully completed the 221st Session of the prestigious F.B.I. National Academy in Quantico, Va. He possesses an Associates of General Studies degree as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts. He is also the recipient of numerous letters of commendation and other awards including three Louisiana State Police Meritorious Service awards for outstanding service.




Operational Development

 The Operational Development Section consists of the Planning, Public Affairs, and Research Units. The Section functions as staff for Colonel Mike Edmonson.

The Planning Unit is tasked with producing the Strategic Plan, Operational Plan, monitoring the Department's performance indicators, the budget and the management of numerous federal grants. The Research Unit is responsible for the development of policy and procedure, legislative concerns, general research and numerous special projects. The Public Affairs Unit is charged with all media relations, educational programs concerning the public safety, and providing support for events and programs of interest to the Superintendent.




Research

 There was tremendous accomplishment within the Research and Planning Units in the last several years. The Policy and Procedural Manual was updated and posted electronically on the intranet. In addition, The Louisiana Revised Statutes, as they pertained to criminal and certain aspects of civil law, were also posted on the intranet. The Policy and Procedure Manual and the Revised Statutes became accessible to all personnel and eliminated the costs associated with printing manuals and purchasing statute books.

The Section became heavily involved with a safety task force comprised of LSP, The Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), Risk Management (ORM), the Attorney General's Office, and other traffic safety partners. The task force, which continues today, was formed to address several areas that affects the public safety. The initial meetings resulted in the Troops being notified and consulted on construction sites being established within their Troop areas. In addition, a procedure was established that required the Troops to notify DOTD and Risk Management of serious and fatal crashes and any potential road hazards or situations that required immediate attention. Through this notification DOTD and ORM can replace missing signs, correct roadway defects, and reconstruct serious and fatal crashes before valuable evidence is lost.

Another proud accomplishment of the Section was the establishment of a cooperative agreement executed with Louisiana State University for a Master's of Public Administration program open to all employees of the Department of Public Safety and other law enforcement and public safety partners. The curriculum, which is taught at the LSP Training Academy, is an accelerated one. A three-hour course is presented over ten weeks, completing two, three-hour courses each fall and spring semester. Forty-three students began the program in January 1999 and are expected to complete the degree requirements in May 2002. The program has proved so successful LSU established a similar program with the Louisiana Legislative employees.




Planning

 The Planning Unit provides staff functions for the Superintendent and command staff. In particular, the Unit is responsible for developing, monitoring and administering federal and state grants; preparing the Strategic and Operational Plans; supervising the preparation of the State Police budget; preparing fiscal notes for legislative requests; and analyzing statistical data for the establishment of priorities and allocation of resources.

During the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the Planning Unit managed 12 federal grants and contracts, which exceeded $2.8 million. The grants and contracts were related to highway safety, criminal apprehension, law enforcement instruction, and new technologies for our personnel and facilities. Highway Safety funds were utilized for the enforcement of traffic laws, seatbelt and child restraint laws, and DWI violations. This funding is also a primary source of the Department's funding for safety education and public information. Safety for the officers as well as the public has been enhanced through equipment purchased by grants. In-car video cameras have been installed in nearly every patrol unit, while new radar and lidar units have replaced older technology. These contracts have also reduced the state's liability by improving the methodologies and technologies used in the investigation and reconstruction of traffic crashes.

The grants and contracts discussed in the preceding paragraph are only those applied for, awarded to and managed by the Planning Unit. The Unit also assisted in the application process for grants totaling over $6.8 million for the Crime Lab, DNA Lab, Investigative Support Services, the Training Academy, Narcotics, Detectives, and Homeland Security functions. As the process of locating grant funding, applying for grants and managing grant contracts becomes more complicated, the Planning Unit will continue to assist the Department in acquiring the funding necessary to maintain a professional Louisiana State Police.




Public Affairs

 The Public Affairs Unit was re-established in 1996 when it was recognized that there was a need for a strong and viable public information and safety education program. Assigned the delicate task of dealing with the media and the general public, Public Information Officers (PIOs), have greatly improved the State Police's image as well as the public's understanding of what our organization does. Various programs, targeted at training children and educating their parents on the importance of using safety restraints, have fostered a positive relationship with local communities, and have demonstrated that Troopers do much more than merely enforce traffic and criminal laws.

In 1997, the Public Affairs Unit met and agreed that its efforts to educate the public on the importance of using safety restraints were falling far short of anticipated goals. They also agreed that they wanted to "take the hammer" out of its education program, believing only a small percentage of violators is actually ever cited. To demonstrate to the public that the State Police really cared about the public's safety, the Unit approached a graduate marketing class at Louisiana State University and asked the class to help create safety campaigns, which would target various age groups. From that class came the basis of "Buckles," a seat belt safety campaign aimed at young children, and its sister campaign, "Newton's Law," aimed at middle and high school students.

Through the development and use of these campaigns, in 1999 the Department won the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Regional Pace PSA Award, the International Association of Chief's of Police (IACP) Chief's Challenge Award, and placed second at the 32nd Annual United Safety Education Officers (USEOW) workshop.

Other awards received through the efforts of the PIO's and the Troopers who enforce the traffic laws day in and day out were:

The Public Affairs Unit is totally committed to public safety. As just one of their initiatives the Unit's personnel, including the supervisors, were certified as child passenger safety technicians by the National Highway Transportation Safety Association. In addition, at least three troopers in each troop have been nationally certified.

Our goal is to have the troops be passenger safety check-up stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week with every trooper and supervisor capable of providing appropriate information to concerned parents and others. Troop L in Mandeville, LA is already functioning as a passenger safety checkup station. They have certified all of their supervisors and several troopers as technicians. The Public Affairs Unit PIOs participate in at least one passenger safety checkup event every month. The Unit plans for each PIO to conduct a checkup point in a different parish each month within their troop area over the next year.




Accreditation

 In 2001 Louisiana State Police launched a three-year contract with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The mission was to assess Louisiana State Police programs, activities and operations in relation to the 443 CALEA standards. The Department would then develop and implement a plan to move the agency toward pursuing and eventually achieving national accreditation. These 443 standards essentially represented the “best practices” for law enforcement agencies throughout the country and focused on strengthening areas such as:
  • Roles, responsibilities and relationships with other agencies
  • Organization, management and administration
  • Personnel administration, auxiliary and technical service
  • Law enforcement operation and support
In 2003, Louisiana State Police received its initial accreditation from CALEA. Obtaining this status was based on an on-site review and inspection that focused on interviews with Department personnel, on-site inspections of files and facilities, opportunities for public assessment of agency performance, and presentations by agency members as to how the department complies with the applicable accreditation standards. The agency’s pursuit of CALEA accreditation has offered several benefits for LSP and the public. Some of these benefits include:
  • A long range operational strategic plan
  • Expanded crime prevention and community involvement
  • Increased feedback from communities, victims, and employees
  • Expanded training opportunities
  • Coordinated missing person response
  • Enhanced victim assistance efforts
  • Increased security of evidence and property
  • Redefined performance evaluations
To remain accredited, LSP must be reassessed every three years to ensure continued compliance with all applicable CALEA standards. By maintaining compliance and preparing for re-accreditation, the Louisiana State Police is in a continuous cycle of reviewing the quality of service it provides. The decision to seek and maintain CALEA accreditation represents the commitment by all LSP employees to constantly improve the quality of service provided to the public and to meet the national standard for professional excellence in law enforcement.




Joint Emergency Services Training Center

 The Joint Emergency Services Training Center (JESTC) is a state of the art law enforcement and first responder training facility. This center will feature numerous training opportunities at one location. The mission of JESTC is to provide a centralized location where law enforcement, government, and civilian agencies, separately or jointly, can train personnel in emergency/first response services.

JESTC is 1,472 acres of open and wooded terrain with over 900 acres in use and under construction. The remaining land is available for future development. The facility is owned by the State of Louisiana, managed by the State Police and designed to serve state, regional, national, and international clients, providing law enforcement, HAZMAT and anti-terrorism training.

Services that will be provided at JESTC are: High Tech Classrooms; Teleconferencing and Distance Learning; Overnight Accommodations with Food Service; Video-computer Assisted Training; Full Service Executive Conference Center; and Administration and Emergency Medical Care.




International Training Section

 The International Training Section provides logistical and administrative support, as well as safety oversight to outside entities who conduct firearms, explosive, and dignitary protection training at LSP facilities.

With its roots firmly based in over fifteen years of support to the United States Department of State Anti-terrorism Assistance Program (ATAP), International Training Section personnel are highly skilled and uniquely qualified to support those who conduct training associated with firearms proficiency in high risk environments, explosives identification and remediation as well as post blast investigation, and protection of dignitaries. The International Training Section has personnel certified in firearms instruction and explosives handling to ensure that all training is conducted in a safe manner.

LSP offers first class training facilities at our Training Academy, the Joint Emergency Services Training Center (JESTC), and the Holden Emergency Response Training Center. While facilities are key to the provision of training, a strong support and safety oversight plan is the cornerstone of any high risk training program.