VIDALIA — Sheriff-elect Kenneth Hedrick might have to miss church on Sunday — something he doesn’t enjoy doing, but he has a good reason this week.

Hedrick will work from 12:01 Sunday morning through the day, until all of the approximate 260 staff members of his new administration are sworn in.

The employees work in shifts, so the ceremonies will continue each time a new shift comes in.

In October, Hedrick received 51.8 percent of the vote, or 3,484 votes, over competitors Charles “Junior” Tarver and Robert “Rock” Davis.

Because the time between Election Day and day 1 on the job — as defined in state law — was so lengthy, Hedrick has been shadowing outgoing Sheriff Randy Maxwell for nine months, learning the department.

Since his first official day falls on a Sunday, Hedrick said he has to get everyone sworn in before starting work on Monday.

“I’ll have a bunch of people in here helping me get everyone sworn in, but it’s going to be a long day,” Hedrick said. “Plus, I have to go to church — if I can make it.”

All employees, from dispatchers to correctional officers, will have to take an oath of office and be sworn in, Hedrick said.

The sheriff manages 260 employees, 1,500 prisoners and a $15 million budget.

And with 12 CPSO employees retiring along with Maxwell, Hedrick said he had to do some shifting around of positions and personnel within the department.

Positions like CPSO Chief Investigator, formerly held by Bobby Sheppard who was one of the retirees, will be phased out and redistributed throughout three other captain positions.

“I’m not hung up on order of rank and position titles, so we’re adding to some departments and moving around others,” Hedrick said. “We are downsizing a little bit, but it’s all to save this department some money.”

Capt. David Hedrick, the sheriff’s son, will be promoted to chief deputy and oversee all captains and various other parts of the department.

Hedrick said knocking on doors and talking to the residents of Concordia Parish during the election, gave him several ideas he hopes to implement.

“When I was out politicking during the election, the main concern was drugs in the parish,” Hedrick said. “So that’s going to be a big push for us.”

Getting all deputies acquainted with the community they cover is the first step to all good police work, Hedrick said.

“We need to get our guys into the neighborhoods and make sure our presence is known,” Hedrick said. “If we need to take some guys off the highway and put them in the neighborhoods to get some drugs off the streets, that’s what we’ll do.”

Hedrick was chief of police in Ferriday from 1976 to 1981 and from 2008 to 2011. From 1981 to 2008 he was an agent for Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries.

Hedrick will be sworn in at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center.