On the night of August 24th, 2023, Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office chief deputy Jack McKeithen (2nd in command, directly under the sheriff) was advised to look for a red pickup truck seen leaving the area where a brush fire was occurring. Though the detective didn't specify until later, the red truck was a Chevrolet Z71 4-wheel drive.

Chief deputy McKeithen instead stopped a random blue Ford pickup that he spotted, using the excuse of not being able to read the plate due to a trailer ball. The blue Ford was obviously not the red Z71, which was never located.

The Iowa Court Of Appeals ruled in 2022 that a trailer ball partially obstructing one digit of a license plate doesn't justify a traffic stop. Though the ruling only technically applies in the state of Iowa, Louisiana's law regarding license plates (La. R.S. 32:53-A-3) is written very similarly to Iowa's (Iowa Code 321.38). Therefore, the Iowa ruling that a trailer ball isn't a "foreign material" that drivers are required to keep their plates free from, could technically apply in Louisiana as well. Furthermore, La. R.S. 32:53-B-1 expressly stipulates that "additional parts and accessories not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter" are not prohibited. Therefore, it is unlawful for a LEO to stop someone solely because they have a trailer ball.

With this one stop, McKeithen showed us that he doesn't care about patrol deputies violating citizens' rights by stopping the wrong vehicle that doesn't even fit the description, or by using the trailer ball (or trailer, or wheelchair carrier) excuse to make a traffic stop.

See also: "Cop TRASH-TALKS News Reporters On The RADIO" (https://dai.ly/x8o3yb6) for how the chief deputy feels about the Constitutionally-protected free press.