It’s going to be strange, next month, to drive around in Concordia Parish and not feel that Randy Maxwell is somewhere close by looking out for the parish and its residents.

He’ll still be around, of course, but protection will no longer be a part of his job title.

That job will be up to new Sheriff Kenneth Hedrick.

Concordia Parish said goodbye to its longtime sheriff earlier this week at a retirement party. A dozen of his employees apparently wouldn’t know what to do without him and have opted to retire, too. They were celebrated Tuesday as well.

That means July 1 will usher in big changes and lots of new faces at the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Thanks to an inexplicably long lame-duck period in Louisiana law, though, Maxwell and Hedrick have had months of transition time.

We know Maxwell has prepared his successor well; and we have faith Hedrick will pick things up where they left off.

As long as the new sheriff remembers to put the good of the public first, leaves his door open and manages taxpayer money well, the parish will be in fine shape.

We’ll miss seeing Sheriff Maxwell in a public role, but we wish him a happy, relaxing retirement.

Thanks for your service, Sheriff.