Ferriday Chief of Police, Richard Madison, said recent accusations of excessive ticket writing is something his force doesn&8217;t have any control over. &8220;I tell my officers, if I break the law write me a ticket. Nobody&8217;s above the law,&8221; he said. &8220;The Legislature passes the law and it&8217;s up to us to enforce them. If you got standardization, people must adhere to the rules and we&8217;re going to treat everybody the same way.&8221; Ongoing efforts to revitalize Ferriday and increase town growth have created opposition for the department in the form of finger pointing at the ticket writing. The thought that ticket writing is slowing or preventing growth is another thing Madison is not so sure about.

&8220;Approximately 90 percent of the tickets they write are to out-of-towners who aren&8217;t even stopping in the town anyway,&8221; he said. &8220;If you want the truth, the issue is these big companies who come in, put everybody out of business and then pick up and leave.&8221; Approximately 30,000 cars pass through the town of Ferriday daily, Mayor Gene Allen said, causing the force to be something that is, at very least, necessary. &8220;When I know people are being taken care of, I know I am doing my job,&8221; Madison said. &8220;We&8217;re not out here to fine people, we&8217;re here to make people obey the law. If everybody would do that we would close up shop and go home.&8221; Madison&8217;s recent implementation of a five-page policy is something he also sees as helpful in the community&8217;s understanding of the tickets. The policy calls for officers to be courteous, polite and respectful to stopped drivers. Inquiring about the person driving the vehicle, without immediate wrongful accusation and referring to the car&8217;s actions rather than the individual actions, are also a a part. Unification, the ongoing efforts of the police force and getting on the same page as a town is what will take Ferriday to the next level, Madison said. &8220;You can&8217;t have revitalization without unification,&8221; Madison said. &8220;Good law enforcement is when crime goes down. I have no preferences and believe in righteousness.&8221;