A year after a beloved Livingston Parish sheriff's deputy and dispatcher died of COVID, her husband is carrying on her legacy as the department's "guardian angel" by donating bulletproof vests to colleagues who served alongside her.
Just before Thanksgiving, the family of deceased deputy Laura James, along with "Officer Levi," a boy named Levi Russell who raises money for Angel Armor Vests, outfitted two Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office deputies with the specialized vests, according to Sheriff Jason Ard.
Ard has said these new vests are lighter and purported to have improved technology.
James served for nine years with the Sheriff's Office, splitting the rest of her time between the former Livingston Parish Communications 911 District and the Denham Springs Police Department. In addition to filling in for dispatch sergeants in their absence, she trained new LPSO employees.
After her death in 2021, coworkers honored James for her 26 years in emergency communications.
It was fitting James' family chose the holiday season for their donations. The deputy loved the build-up to Christmas, which was her favorite time of year, family and coworkers said. She always looked forward to participating in the sheriff's annual Christmas Crusade — a toy drive to support families facing economic hardship who might struggle to provide presents for their children.
The two deputies chosen to receive the vests both worked on James' shift.
"She’d always tell me she just wants them to be able to go home to their families," said Laura James' husband, Richard. "So, in her honor, our family is helping to complete that mission."
Ard said one deputy who recieved a vest has started his own non-profit to provide first aid and additional life-saving devices like tourniquets to schools in Livingston Parish.
The other deputy honored was featured in a popular TikTok video from 2021 that shows him on a front porch appearing to say a prayer before delivering tragic news to a family.
In both cases, Richard James said his wife would be proud of her colleagues.
He said his family donated funds for one of the vests and partnered with Levi to provide money for the rest of the other. And like last Christmas, James and his family plan to join other LPSO deputies as they deliver toys to families for the Christmas Crusade, in honor of his wife's memory.
"Laura was like family to us all," Ard said. "She was a great dispatcher and always the top elf for the Crusade. I’m honored Richard wanted to give back to the LPSO by donating vests to these deputies. She is surely missed, but this act of kindness is what the LPSO family is all about."