FERRIDAY — Ferriday Police Chief Kenneth Hedrick stepped down from his position Thursday, and announced his intentions to run for Concordia Parish Sheriff in the upcoming Oct. 22 election.

Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin said assistant chief Johnny Evans will serve as chief until Tuesday, when the Ferriday Board of Aldermen will make the position change official in the town’s minutes.

“It’s going to work just like it would if (Hedrick) were sick and unable to perform his duties,” he said. “(Evans) will be performing the chief’s duties until Tuesday, where I will be appointing him as the new chief, and waiting for approval from the board.”

McGlothin said he will promote someone from within the department for the open assistant chief position.

“The department has done a good job so far handling things,” he said. “I don’t believe we need to bring other people in to fill the position when we have what we need here.”

McGlothin said in Ferriday the mayor appoints the chief of police and the assistant chief; the position is not an elected one.

With a major change already under way at the department, McGlothin said he is fully confident that Evans and the rest of the officers will continue to perform their duties.

“Everything is going to run just as smoothly as it has been,” he said. “This is a change, but I trust (Evans). I know he is very capable of running this place, especially since he has already done a great job as assistant chief.”

Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell announced recently that he would not seek re-election this fall after more than 20 years in office.

Hedrick served two terms as Ferriday Police Chief, once from 1976 to 1981 and again from 2008 until Thursday.

Hedrick said in a press release that if he is elected, he will continue to crack down on crime and keep the streets safe.

“I look forward to hitting the ground running as sheriff,” he said. “Our focus will be on public safety, increased patrols on our highways, cracking down on illegal drugs, running an efficient jail and treating every citizen of Concordia Parish with the respect they deserve.”

McGlothin said the news of Hedrick’s departure was something he was expecting.

“I have known he was going to run for sheriff for quite a while,” he said. “He said he would let me know when he was stepping down to do it, and he did.”

McGlothin said Hedrick always brought his best to the department in Ferriday.

“I think he was a great chief,” he said. “He was a great people person, and that’s what you need in a town this small.”

Qualifying for the sheriff’s election is scheduled for Sept. 6-8. Election Day is Oct. 22.