In Loving Memory

Wayne F. McElveen

June 29, 1938 - December 8, 2025



Wayne Fisher McElveen, 87, former Ward Three Marshal and Sheriff of Calcasieu Parish, passed away peacefully on Monday at his home in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Born and raised in Lake Charles, Sheriff McElveen graduated from Lake Charles High School in 1957 and was a member of the 1954 Wildcat State Champion Football team. After graduating he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Upon completing his service, he returned home and began what would become a lifelong career in public service, joining the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Department under Sheriff Henry A. “Ham” Reid. He served as a patrol deputy and later as director of the Juvenile and Junior Deputy Programs—roles he cherished, especially the opportunity to work with the youth of Calcasieu Parish.



In 1972, he was elected Ward Three City Marshal, and in 1980, the citizens of Calcasieu Parish elected him, Sheriff. Over the next twenty years, Sheriff McElveen guided the Sheriff’s Department through a period of significant growth and modernization. He oversaw the relocation of the department and parish jail from downtown to East Broad Street and played a key role in enhancing the Calcasieu Parish Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy. Sheriff McElveen was able to build the new prison without any taxpayer money. In 2025, Sheriff Stitch Guillory honored his legacy by naming the Calcasieu Sheriff’s Prison the Sheriff Wayne McElveen Prison.