Police & jail misconductOversight & ethics enforcement

Opelousas police found Officer Clay Higgins used unnecessary force and gave false statements in a 2007 internal investigation; he resigned before council-approved discipline could be imposed

Confidence: Corroborated · 3 sourcesLouisiana · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Clay Higgins, U.S. Representative, Louisiana's 3rd District

Also named

Oversight

Opelousas Police Department

Perry Gallow, Chief, Opelousas Police Department (2007)

What happened

Opelousas Police Department Discipline Review Board minutes and Chief Perry Gallow's May 31, 2007 letter to the mayor and city council, quoted by The Independent (Lafayette) in 2016, say Pfc. Clay Higgins 'used unnecessary force on a subject during the execution of a warrant' on March 14, 2007 and 'later gave false statements during an internal investigation.' The board recommended demotion from Patrolman First Class to Patrolman, reassignment to a patrol shift, removal from SWAT and a 160-hour unpaid suspension; the city council approved the discipline at a May 15, 2007 special meeting. Higgins turned in his equipment and resigned on May 18, 2007, and Gallow wrote that 'due to his abrupt resignation, disciplinary action cannot be imposed.' Internal affairs records obtained by The Independent in 2016 show the investigating captain, Craig Thomas, concluded Higgins used unnecessary force and 'committed several batteries' on the man, and wrote that Higgins 'failed to tell the truth' and 'only told the truth about this incident after speaking with' another officer who had not gone along with the original account. Thomas's report of the re-interview says Higgins acknowledged placing a hand around the man's neck, hitting him on the side of the head with '10 to 15% force, not an actual strike' and pulling a cigarette from his mouth, and apologized for lying. Higgins, who has represented Louisiana's 3rd District since 2017, told The Independent in 2016 that he denied the accusation in his initial report and repeated the denial to the captain, then corrected it within days because 'I couldn't live with that.' He described the incident as slapping a cigarette out of the handcuffed man's mouth, said the man had no injuries, and said the recommended discipline was overly harsh. He said he resigned because he had called the chief a 'peacock' at a SWAT competition and decided his career at the department was over; Gallow and the internal affairs records say he also faced additional discipline for buying beer in uniform. The Independent reported that a message seeking Higgins' response to the internal affairs records was not immediately returned. No criminal charge is reported in the sources reviewed.

Sources (3)

The Independent (Lafayette), Walter Pierce: Clay Higgins resigned from OPD in 2007 on cusp of major disciplinary measures (Sept 29, 2016)Quotes Chief Gallow's May 31, 2007 letter ('Due to his abrupt resignation, disciplinary action cannot be imposed') and the Discipline Review Board minutes: Higgins 'used unnecessary force on a subject during the execution of a warrant and later gave false statements during an internal investigation.' Lists the four recommended actions and the council's May 15, 2007 approval. Higgins tells the paper he denied the accusation in his initial report and repeated the denial to the captain before admitting it, and gives his peacock account of why he resigned.

The Independent (Lafayette), Leslie Turk: Capt. Clay fails the fact-check (Nov 4, 2016)Reports on internal affairs records obtained by public records request: Capt. Craig Thomas concluded Higgins used unnecessary force and 'committed several batteries'; Higgins corrected his statement after learning a fellow officer told the truth; in his second interview he admitted hitting the man with '10 to 15% force' and apologized for lying. Gallow says Higgins also faced discipline for buying beer in uniform. Notes a request for Higgins' response was not immediately returned.

Mother JonesStates that in 2007 Higgins and fellow Opelousas officer John Chautin assaulted an unarmed Black man while on duty, according to an internal police investigation and Bayou Brief, and that Higgins 'was caught lying to a police investigator and resigned rather than face discipline.' Repeats earlier reporting rather than adding new records.

Response

Clay Higgins

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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