Sheriff Mark Wood

08/29/2026

Today we celebrated two of my very good friends. Both of these men have always went above and beyond to help the folks of Rapides Parish. Thank you Major Marcus Sandoval for your 37 years of service and Major Jeffery Brister for your 36 years of service. The department have some big shoes to fill, enjoy retirement brothers!

08/14/2026

I am very excited about this upcoming event!

This is something that we have been planning for some time now and can not wait to see the smiles and happy children. I want to thank everyone who has put in the time and everyone that will be here to help!!

08/07/2026

Dear lord, please cover our law enforcement in prayers, please watch over them. Please guide them in the split decisions that they have to make. Please lay your hands upon them and shield them. Please keep them fast, steady and strong. Keep them pushing forward and always hold the line.

The only thing standing in between civilized humanity and chaos are the men and women who wear the badge. Lord please pray for those that have never made an arrest, never worked in the jails, never served a warrant, never spent sleepless nights performing surveillance, never had to stand toe to toe with evil, for they simply do not know any better. The only thing that separates good from evil is our law enforcement, God Bless you all.

07/14/2026

Lord,

We have lost a hero who once walked among us.

He didn't wear a cape or a fancy costume, but he stood by us in the fight against evil.

He fought for your world, and unfortunately, lost his life in the line of duty.

Please welcome him into heaven with open arms and give him our praises and our gratitude.

Thank you, Lord.

In your name, we pray, Amen. 🙏

07/04/2026

Happy Birthday America!! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. Most of the delegates to the Second Continental Congress signed the document on August 2, 1776. By putting their names on this paper, these men risked losing everything if the British won the American Revolution. Even though the Americans won, some of these men suffered severely by supporting independence.

These words from the preamble of the Constitution say it all;

“We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The administrative offices of the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office will be closed on Friday July 3, 2026 in observance of the Independence Day holiday.
Offices will reopen on Monday July 6, 2026 at 8 AM.

Please join Sheriff Mark Wood and the dedicated men and women of RPSO in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of our great nation.

We hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July!

07/01/2026

I would like to wish my friend Gabe Firment, District 22 State Representative the best of luck in his upcoming Louisiana’s 5th congressional election. Gabe will do a fine job for all of us in Washington.

I would also like to congratulate Mayor Joe Bishop on being sworn in again as our Pineville City Mayor. Mayor Bishop has done an excellent job and is leading the city in the right direction.

06/28/2026

Thank you Rapides Parish for always being there to back our law enforcement.

06/26/2026

I would personally like to ask all my supporters, friends, and fellow citizens to get out and vote “YES” tomorrow on our tax renewal for RPSO. This renewal is very important to our department, communities and the continued growth of our parish.

The Sheriff's Office millage provides funding for personnel, equipment, training, vehicles, technology, and other resources used to serve the citizens of Rapides Parish every day.

For nearly 40 years, this millage has helped support the operations of the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office and many of the public safety services our communities depend on.

The funding provides resources for patrol operations, criminal investigations, specialized enforcement efforts, school and community programs, emergency response capabilities, equipment, technology, and training for deputies and employees.

06/24/2026

I am so happy to see this new program getting ready to be launched. I want to thank all of the people who are responsible for putting this together. They have worked very hard to ensure that this is a success for our youth and for our next generation of kids.

If we want to change our world and correct some of the bad behaviors in it, we have to start with our children !!

06/11/2026

Please say a prayer for all of our brothers in Christ, as we anticipate our ACTS retreat this weekend. We look forward to a wonderful weekend of fellowship and worship.

I once was lost but now I am found, I once was blind but now I see!!!!!