NATCHEZ — Natchez played host to two high-level Haitian officials interested in law enforcement and economic development Monday.

Former Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell toured Anthony Arango, special envoy to the president of Haiti and a member of the President’s Advisory Committee of Economic Development and Government Affairs, and Valdimor Laborde, minister of the interior of Haiti and a member of the Hatian presidential cabinet, around the area.

Ferrell said the Hatian government is trying to reorganize its trade and homeland security structures in the wake of the devastating January 2010 earthquake that killed 316,000 people.

The Haitian government is looking to form a relationship with American law enforcement officials to help train officers, and Ferrell said his connection with the two officials is as a law enforcement consultant.

In addition to the law enforcement restructuring, the Haitian government is looking for places to which it can ship products manufactured in that country because of a free-trade agreement it has with the U.S., Ferrell said.

“Their primary contact (with American law enforcement) is through the State of Mississippi, and they are interested in the State of Mississippi because they can use Mississippi ports,” Ferrell said.

“I wanted them to see Natchez firsthand, so I toured them here through the port and other areas. They are interested in port facilities for many reasons, not only for free trade but for security reasons.”

The two officials were only in town briefly — they were passing through the area on the way to other meetings — but Ferrell said he took the opportunity to introduce them to Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce President Debbie Hudson and Natchez Inc. Project Manager Chris Hinton.

After the tour, the Haitians expressed interest in coming back to Natchez, Ferrell said.

“They wanted to see more and hear more about what Natchez-Adams County had to offer,” he said. “They were quite impressed with a community like Natchez-Adams County having access to the things we do.

“Now that they are trying to secure their ports and get some trade going, there is some good potential down the road for economic development with them exporting some stuff up here.”

And while Ferrell said he certainly understood the time he spent with the Haitian officials as an opportunity to plant the seeds for potential future development, he said he had another reason for doing it.

“Any time there is an opportunity to brag about Natchez, that is something we do,” he said.