Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office leaders need to carefully rethink the office’s policies on the use of inmate trustys.

To allow inmates to simply move about and work freely without direct and constant supervision is dangerous.

That was proven accurate last week when a trusty who was assigned to clean the parking lot at the courthouse decided to make a run for it.

The man managed to get to Walmart where things went from bad to worse.

The inmate attempted to carjack a Walmart shopper with a box cutter.

Fortunately a group of bystanders saw what was happening and intervened.

The situation could have become deadly, however. When you have a convicted felon, armed and on the run, anything is possible.

The inmate was eventually captured at a nearby bank and everyone was safe. Later, law enforcement officers reported the man had attempted to commit suicide in his cell.

That speaks to the mental state of the man who was left to fend for himself.

The use of trustys is a long practice, and a useful one, but an inmate is there for a reason — they’ve committed a crime.

It’s up to law enforcement to carefully watch them while under their care to make sure they don’t commit more crimes while in custody.