For the second time in three months the Ferriday police chief has been suspended, but the public has been kept in the dark about the causes of the suspensions.

In this day and age when the once innate respect for law enforcement wavers from time to time, it’s imperative that the public has full faith in the department.

Mayor Sherrie Jacobs has been tight-lipped about the causes of the two terminations.

Based on last week’s Ferriday Board of Aldermen meeting clearly a problem exists between Police Chief Arthur Lewis and Mayor Jacobs.

At the meeting, Jacobs sought aldermen approval to terminate Lewis. Instead aldermen unanimously voted to keep Lewis as police chief.

The very next day Jacobs suspended Lewis again, without pay, for what she said was administrative issues.

If Jacobs’ public silence on the reasons why she doesn’t believe Lewis is fit to lead the police department is related to trying to protect him from public scrutiny or protect the city from litigation, we appreciate her concerns.

However, if her reasons for seeking his termination are sound and well documented, her litigation worries should be minimal.

The bigger concern she should have is the continuing public relations problem having to suspend the police chief is causing both the department’s morale and the public perception of Ferriday’s police force.

We hope she will publicly explain why she feels Lewis needs to be replaced and quickly.

In this day and age when the once innate respect for law enforcement wavers from time to time, it’s imperative that the public has full faith in the department.

Mayor Sherrie Jacobs has been tight-lipped about the causes of the two terminations.

Based on last week’s Ferriday Board of Aldermen meeting clearly a problem exists between Police Chief Arthur Lewis and Mayor Jacobs.

At the meeting, Jacobs sought aldermen approval to terminate Lewis. Instead aldermen unanimously voted to keep Lewis as police chief.

The very next day Jacobs suspended Lewis again, without pay, for what she said was administrative issues.

If Jacobs’ public silence on the reasons why she doesn’t believe Lewis is fit to lead the police department is related to trying to protect him from public scrutiny or protect the city from litigation, we appreciate her concerns.

However, if her reasons for seeking his termination are sound and well documented, her litigation worries should be minimal.

The bigger concern she should have is the continuing public relations problem having to suspend the police chief is causing both the department’s morale and the public perception of Ferriday’s police force.

We hope she will publicly explain why she feels Lewis needs to be replaced and quickly.