VIDALIA — Police Chief-elect Joey Merrill said he did not want to wait until July to start serving the people of Vidalia, so when the election was finalized he applied to temporarily fill in at the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Merrill, who opposed incumbent Police Chief Arthur Lewis, said he had to quit his job as a Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries agent to run for police chief.

“I’ve been conducting investigations, patrols and admin work,” he said. “I’ve been doing it all.”

Chief Deputy David Hedrick said he works so closely with Merrill that the two share an office.

“He’s done such a good job — we hate to lose him,” he said. “But we take comfort in knowing when he does leave, he’ll be doing great work for the City of Vidalia.”

A key component of working with the sheriff’s office is that it will help foster a strong working relationship, Merrill said.

Hedrick said some synergy that the two departments could benefit from also exists now. The sheriff’s deputies have a training program they have to go through every year, and he said that would be open to Vidalia officers.

“He knows that when he does leave, he can call us for anything,” Hedrick said. “And vice-versa is also true.

“We’re going to have a good working relationship.”

Merrill said he had met with mayor Hyram Copeland, mayor-elect Buz Craft and the aldermen.

“Mainly, we were talking about issues related to the budget,” he said. “But they also talked about the concerns they have for the town.”

Church and community leaders have also sought to meet Merrill and express their issues.

From what he is hearing, Merrill said the biggest problems in Vidalia right now relate to drug abuse and fraud against the elderly.

Regarding the scams, Merrill said, the city needs to invest more time and resources into educating its elderly population.

“I’m trying to get some classes lined up that will hopefully be ready to go in July,” he said. “These Internet scams are getting worse. People seem to be taking advantage of our elderly, and we want to protect them,”

Under the current police administration, Merrill said no officers are dedicated to combatting the illegal narcotics trade. Merrill said he wanted to create such a position and have he or she work closely with the Concordia Parish and Adams County drug task forces.

“We need to start focusing on what is going on around town and get it under control,” he said.

Merrill campaigned on reining in the Vidalia Police Department budget. From 2008 to 2014, the Vidalia police budget increased from $1.4 million to $2.4 million. For the 2015 budget, spending was up to approximately $2.8 million.

Merrill identified one cut, which would be the motorcycle patrol. Other than the motorcycle patrol, Merrill said he didn’t want to get into specifics of other possible budget cuts.“We are still two months out,” he said. “I don’t want people worrying about their jobs because there are other ways we can adjust the budget.”

Merrill said if he does identify a position the department doesn’t need, he would cut it.

“I’ve met with all of the officers,” he said. “I think we have a good department, and for the most part, all of them have been excited about the transition.”

Merrill said his administration style would be hands on and open to the public. He said his door was always open to residents of the town.

“I definitely want to be a public servant and help the people of Vidalia in anyway I can,” he said. “I think that’s what it is all about, that and spending their money wisely.”