Johnny Wyatt Memorial Highway: The memory of former Bossier City Marshal

Johnny Wyatt was born July 23rd, 1946 in Bossier City, Louisiana. He was a 1964 graduate of Bossier High School and continued his education at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. He served as the city marshal in Bossier City from 1991 up until his death in 2010. A city marshal serves as the executive officer of the city court, acting as the enforcement arm for judicial orders. The city marshal is a member of law enforcement that can make arrests, conduct traffic, and carry a fire arm, but they do not have to do these tasks often. The main responsibility of a city marshal is to execute orders and mandates of the court.

In Louisiana, a city marshal is elected into office. In other states, the city marshal is appointed to office by the mayor. The city marshal of Bossier City can run unlimited times and serves a six year term. Wyatt won the 1991 city marshal election and never lost another one. He was re-elected three times because of the good work that he did for Bossier City. He established “A Step in the Right Direction”, which was a program that assisted young people and their parents that were in need due to alcohol or drug addiction. In 2006, Wyatt started the Northwest Louisiana Internet Crimes against Children Task Force. He started this task force because he loved his grandchildren and did not want any children to fall into the hands of a child predator. The last thing he started was the Bossier City Marshal’s Office Cyber Crime Unit and they would assist other agencies with digital forensics.

On October 8th, 2010, Wyatt was driving eastbound on Interstate 220 in Bossier Parish around 7:45 pm. He took the Shed Road exit, but his vehicle rolled past a stop sign and crashed into a culvert. He was taken to LSU Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. He was buried on October 12th, 2010 at Hill Crest Memorial Cemetery in Haughton, Louisiana.

His memory will forever be remembered when traveling on Interstate 220 in Bossier Parish. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development hosted a ceremony on Thursday August 20th, 2015 that dedicated a portion of Interstate 220 to the former City Marshal of Bossier City, Johnny Wyatt.

Quotes from friends, co-workers, and family:

"Johnny had the great ability to lead a thousand people, or to sit down with one person and to make that person he or she feel like they were the most important in the entire world." Bossier Sheriff Larry (October 9th, 2010).

“There was never a time that Johnny did not greet me with a smile. He was truly a fine man and will be greatly missed. Rest assured that his legacy will continue to help others far into the future.” Mike Boggs (October 13th, 2010).

“My heart felt condolences on the loss of Johnny. He was my close and dearest friend. I can't express my own heartache for his death. He will be sorely missed by all in our community. We just wish him God's speed and know that he is with the lord. He certainly was an inspiration to us all.” Charlie Davis (October 13th, 2010).

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