VIDALIA &8212; A pay raise for all full-time employees at the Concordia Parish Sheriff&8217;s Department puts the force ahead of Mayberry, but it&8217;s still not enough.

Sheriff Randy Maxwell announced a 10 percent pay raise Wednesday, effective this month. The pay raise includes all patrol deputies, investigators, jail personnel and civil deputies at the Vidalia office.

All employees of the Work Release Program and staff members at the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility and River Correctional Facility are also included in the raise.

&8220;This country is based on a system of laws. Without law and order there would be absolute chaos,&8221; Maxwell said. &8220;Some people want to pay the law enforcement personnel in their community a &8216;Barney Fife&8217; salary, but when something happens to someone in their family they want a 007 to come to their aid and I don&8217;t believe in that. I think we need to keep trying to do better for people working in the field of public safety.&8221;

The pay raise comes after a surplus in the budget allowing the sheriff to give raises to approximately 250 employees at the Vidalia and Ferriday facilities.

&8220;It&8217;s a great feeling to be able to give all of our employees a raise,&8221; Maxwell said. &8220;All of these employees have families and they are facing increased prices at the gas pumps and in the grocery stores just like everyone else. I realize that 10 percent is still not enough, but I felt this was the right time and the right thing to do. They all do an outstanding job for the people of Concordia Parish.&8221;