FERRIDAY — More than two months after he was suspended then later reinstated, the Ferriday Board of Aldermen unanimously voted Tuesday to keep Arthur Lewis as the town’s police chief.

Mayor Sherrie Jacobs requested the termination of Lewis from the board of aldermen at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Jacobs suspended Lewis in December following an incident at the department during which three employees — two officers and a dispatcher — were fired.

Jacobs has repeatedly declined to disclose the circumstances surrounding Lewis’ suspension, and again refused to publicly talk about it after aldermen called her out.

“You have not told us nothing,” Alderwoman Gloria Lloyd said. “We don’t get anything from you until you bring out an agenda (for the next meeting). You’re not respecting the board, and you’re not respecting the citizens of the town.”

Alderwoman Chryl Smith Lee asked that any action on the matter be tabled until the next meeting, because she had not had time to review documentation regarding the police department supplied to the board.

Lloyd said it was unfair to Lewis to continue postponing action on his employment status.

“This is the only supervisor in the Town of Ferriday that has had trouble,” she said. “It is not right.”

Alderman Glenn Henderson said he thought the board needed to do its due diligence before deciding on whether to terminate Lewis. Henderson said the board needed an opportunity to sit down with the mayor and police chief to hear both sides.

“To do it just like this, it’s not fair to the city, the mayor or the citizens,” he said. “We need to be serious. … We need to do it the right way. I don’t think this is the right way.”

Henderson, however, eventually seconded a motion made by Alderwoman Gail Pryor, who made a motion to terminate Lewis, and insisted a vote be taken to end the ongoing discussion on the matter. Although she made the motion to terminate Lewis, Pryor said before the vote that she supported keeping Lewis and made the motion only so a vote could be taken.

“If you want it all out there … we’ve sat down with the mayor on numerous occasions and discussed (the matter),” Pryor said. “I don’t want to kick a dead horse. … You’re either going to do it or you’re not going to do it.”

Alderman Johnnie Brown asked Lloyd to read what appeared to be a statute outlining the powers of the board of aldermen. After Lloyd finished reading aloud, Brown summarized it.

“It means we can do what we want,” Brown said.

“That’s not what it means,” Town Attorney Myisha Davis said, laughing after Brown’s comment drew laughter from the audience.

Several people at the meeting there to support Lewis were repeatedly quieted, with Jacobs knocking a gavel against her desk at one point because noise from the crowd drowned out the board’s discussion.

At one point, it appeared the board might postpone action after Henderson asked Jacobs when she was available to meet with aldermen about the proposed termination.

Henderson eventually seconded the motion, a roll call vote was taken, and Jacobs moved immediately into the next item of business without making a comment on the vote.

Later in the meeting, Pryor pledged — to praise from Lewis sitting in the audience — that the town was going to investigate reports from residents about harassment by police officers, the planting of evidence — specifically officers accused of carrying drugs to plant on people they arrest — and complaints of random drug testing at the department.

“We are going to get into that with the chief and see how deeply (it) goes,” she said. “(We’re) going to get a wrap on these police officers being bad.”