By Tiffany Flournoy
CULLEN, La. — A legal opinion from the Louisiana Attorney General affirming that Cullen’s police chief may simultaneously serve in law enforcement roles across jurisdictions has intensified scrutiny in a town already defined by tension between municipal leadership and its police department.
The opinion, issued April 16, by the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General, was requested by Councilwoman Denise Epps-Hoof, the wife of Mayor Terry Hoof, and addresses whether Cullen Police Chief Fannie Rankin may also work as a police officer in the City of Springhill and serve as a school resource officer at Brown Upper School under a cooperative agreement. It is unclear when the opinion was sought.
The Attorney General concluded that Louisiana law does not prohibit the arrangement.
“Yes. The Dual Officeholding and Employment provisions do not prohibit the Chief of Police for the Town of Cullen from simultaneously serving as a police officer in the City of Springhill and resource officer for Brown Upper School,” the opinion reads.
The ruling relies on Louisiana’s Dual Officeholding and Dual Employment Law, noting that Cullen and Springhill are separate political subdivisions under state law, allowing the dual roles to exist legally.
It further explains that Rankin’s school resource officer assignment falls under her Springhill police employment through an agreement with the Webster Parish School Board and does not alter her classification under state law.
But while the opinion resolves the question of legality, it also underscores practical limits on dual service.
“We note that the person at issue will be holding both full-time employment and a full-time elected position,” the letter reads. “While the Dual Officeholding and Employment law does not prohibit this arrangement, the individual must be careful to fulfill the requirements of both positions.”
The Attorney General cautions that legal permission does not eliminate operational conflict.
“The absence of statutory restrictions does not eliminate practical and operational considerations,” the opinion continues. “Each role may have onsite obligations that could be in conflict as an individual cannot be in two locations simultaneously.”
It adds that officials must assess whether both roles can be effectively performed.
“While the law may not prohibit the decision to proceed, one must take into consideration whether they can effectively and appropriately fulfill the duties and obligations of both roles,” the letter states.
The opinion also notes its limits, stating it does not address Louisiana civil service law or ethics provisions under the Louisiana Code of Governmental Ethics, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Louisiana Board of Ethics.
In Cullen, the legal clarification arrives amid an ongoing civil lawsuit filed in the 26th Judicial District Court styled Fannie Rankin v. Town of Cullen Board of Aldermen, naming the governing body of the town as defendant.
According to civil court filings in that case, Rankin alleges that Mayor Terry Hoof and Alderwoman Yolanda Castleman, in both their official and personal capacities, attempted to interfere with and undermine her authority and management of the police department in an effort to pressure her into resigning.
The filings further allege those efforts were aimed at creating a vacancy in the chief’s position so a former police chief could be appointed. That former chief is described in the filings as a friend of Castleman and someone with a prior family connection through marriage.
The lawsuit remains pending, and the allegations have not been adjudicated in court.
In Cullen, the Attorney General has answered the narrow question of whether the police chief’s dual service in Springhill and at Brown Upper School is prohibited under Louisiana’s dual officeholding laws. The broader conflict outlined in court filings — and the dispute over authority inside town government — remains unresolved, continuing to unfold in both court and public view.