LSP second in command placed on administrative leave pending investigation

BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) -- The second in command for Louisiana State Police was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation on Friday morning.

The superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, Colonel Lamar Davis released the following statement:

"This morning, I placed Lt. Colonel Doug Cain on paid administrative leave pending the ongoing administrative investigation into the sanitization of his department cellular device.  The decision to place him on leave was made in the best interest of the department to eliminate any questions into the integrity of the investigation.  I am confident the investigation will be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner leaving no concerns of its findings."  

On Thursday, April 7, the House Special Committee to Inquire into the Circumstances and Investigation of the Death of Ronald Greene heard new testimony. North Louisiana District Attorney John Belton testified, stating that he is seeking state charges for those responsible for Greene's death.

Colonel Davis' handling of discipline was questioned by lawmakers. A number of legislators said they believe those under investigation, including Lt. Colonel Doug Cain, should not be interacting with the public, and instead, be placed on leave. Lawmakers specifically wondered why Lt. Col. Cain had his phone wiped.

“Almost three years later, the only person to really receive any discipline as a part of a State Police IA investigation is an attorney who is part of an audit team,” said Rep. Tanner Magee during Thursday's meeting.