FERRIDAY — The Ferriday Police Department is working to help residents see what officers deal with every day through a ride-along program.

The FPD is working in conjunction with the Ferriday Community Action Coalition and is encouraging area business leaders, pastors and community leaders to ride along with a FPD patrolman to see what is going on the streets in Ferriday.

“We want the leaders to be able to ride around and see everything that is going on in Ferriday,” FPD assistant chief Johnnie Evans said.

Evans said the ride-alongs are being scheduled because of the recent formation of a Neighborhood Watch program in Ferriday.

“The community action group is a part of the neighborhood watch program,” he said. “We have already had meetings with many area leaders, and they are aware of what they are going to be doing.”

Evans said he hopes the program will show community members what the problems in the area are and fuel discussions of possible solutions.

“We always get complaints about this and that and that we need to be doing something different, but they are not out there,” he said. “This way they can know what is going on, so they can know how to better address the situations and talk about them to their constituents.”

Evans said while he has not done a ride-along program in Ferriday, he has done them at previous departments and seen good results.

“Everything works out fine,” he said. “They are not going to be involved in anything, they will just be there to observe and see what is happening on the streets.”

Evans said ultimately, he hopes the ride-alongs can help get the community interested in being a part of the Neighborhood Watch.

“We had one a few years ago, but due to a lack of interest it died,” he said. “We just want to get it back with the whole community involved.”

Evans said the rides are not on a specific date, but are scheduled by the person riding.

The department will be offering both day and night ride-along options to try and work around schedules as best as they can.

For more information on the ride-along or to sign up for a ride, contact Evans at 318-757-3606. The rides are only for area pastors and business and community leaders.