Office of Marshal of the City Court of Denham Springs
The Office of Marshal of the City Court of Denham Springs was created by an act of legislature when the City Court of Denham Springs was established. The present City Marshal, Jerry L. Denton Jr., elected in 2008, is the 12th marshal in the history of the court. The Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, Section 13 Article 1881, which sets out the general powers and duties of the marshal and deputy marshals states:
"The Marshal is the executive officer of the Court. He shall execute the orders and mandates of the Court and in the execution thereof, and in making arrests and perserving the peace, he has the same powers and authority of a sheriff. The marshal may appoint one or more Duputy Marshals having the same powers and authority as the Marshal but, the Marshal shall be responsible for their actions."
The immediate objective of the Marshal and Staff is to serve the court in matters submitted to the court's jurisdiction. A closely related objective is to enforce the mandates and orders of the court. The Marshal's Office is a catalyst between the Police Department and the court. To that end, the Marshal is responsible for serving notice and summonses and for executing arrest warrants issued by the court, generated by sworn affidavits filed by police officers or the public. An additional objective is to maintain a well-trained, well-equipped staff, to carry out the court mandates and orders and to assist state, local and federal law enforcement agencies when called.
The Territotial Jurisdiction extends over all territory which is now hereafter included within the corporate limits of the City of Denham Springs and throughout the Second and Seventh Wards of the Parish of Livingston. Whenever the corporate limits of the City of Denham Springs now or is hereafter extended into a Justice of the Peace ward, that portion or any such Justice of the Peace ward, not included within the City of Denham Springs, shall remain under the jurisdiction of the Justice of the Peace.
The Civil Jurisdiction of the Denham Springs City Court is concurrent with the district court is cases where the amount dispute, or the value of the property involved, does not exceed $15,000.00. Small claims can be filed in cases up to $3,000.00.