FERRIDAY — A purported rash of break-ins, a concern about violence and an empty police chief seat drove a, at times, tense discussion Tuesday at the Ferriday Town Council meeting.

Alderman Johnnie Brown said a recent surge in break-ins and burglaries warrants attention from the Town of Ferriday.

“I think this past weekend gave evidence that we need to step up our game,” Brown said, referring to the break-in of a storeroom at Ferriday Upper Elementary. “There has been a rash of break-ins and thefts, and people getting off work in the morning and coming home to find their doors kicked in and their hard-earned valuables gone.”

Brown said he was particularly concerned about the more vulnerable Ferriday residents such as the elderly.

Gun violence, Brown said, is also an important issue Ferriday needs to address.

At least two shootings were reported in Ferriday last month.

“If we don’t get a handle on 11- and 12-year-olds with guns, in 10 years, those kids are going to be 22-year-olds, and then we’re going to have a problem. We’re going to have a big problem.”

Brown tied that topic back to an issue he brought up earlier in the meeting — the empty chief’s seat at Ferriday Police Department..

Mayor Gene Allen fired former chief Richard Madison in April 2014, citing concern over a number of unsolved burglaries. Investigator Derrick Freeman was appointed interim chief shortly after Richard Madison’s departure.Mayor Allen said in June 2014 he expected to have a chief in place by the following month. The search has apparently been ongoing.

After being questioned by Brown Tuesday, Allen said he would bring recommendations for chief to the council’s meeting next month.

Allen reminded Brown that Assistant Chief Margaret Lawrence is currently acting chief at FPD.

When asked by Brown why Lawrence was not invited to the meeting to address the council’s concerns, Allen said she was attending a funeral for her brother in Virginia.

Brown countered with a question about who was next in line at the department, to which Allen just said the department had officers on duty, a captain and lieutenant.

Brown said it was the job of the police chief and town administration to keep initiatives like Neighborhood Watch active in Ferriday.

A Neighborhood Watch program, Brown said, could help cut down on crime.

“I’m trying to sound the alarm as to what we need to do versus what we are doing,” he said.

Allen said Brown has brought up the Neighborhood Watch issue several times as an organizer and never followed through with it.

“You’ve beat on this horse for years, and you always develop (a Neighborhood Watch program) and you always stop in the middle of the street,” Allen said.

Visibly irritated by Allen’s accusation, Brown contended it was the town’s job to ensure those initiatives are ongoing, once again bringing up an absent police chief and an absent street supervisor.

“That’s your job; do your job, mayor,” Brown said. “You can’t do your job, if you’re going to be (police) chief, street supervisor; and if the employees are not going to do anything unless you tell them to, we don’t need them or you.”

Allen said it is the responsibility of neighborhood residents to ensure their watch programs stay active.

“This board, this mayor, the police, they have never tried to hinder (Neighborhood Watch),” Alley said. “But the people have to carry the Neighborhood Watch program.”

Brown adamantly disagreed.

Later in the meeting, Brown also said he was questioned by a parish official about whether FPD had officers with felonies on their records carrying weapons.

Allen said no officers could be certified by the state with a felony record.