Beauregard Sheriff & DeRidder Chief of Police: A friendship that serves the community

Published: Mar. 20, 2023 at 6:19 PM CDT

DeRidder, LA (KPLC) - One is the sheriff and the other is the chief of police and their friendship goes back decades. It’s a partnership that helps keep Beauregard Parish safe.

“You know, things that required one police officer and one deputy, we tended to tag-team those details with each other,” Sheriff Mark Herford said.

They’re what you could call partners in stopping crime.

“Some of our career paths we kind of mirrored them the same,” DeRidder Chief of Police Craig Richard said. “From patrol, into the narcotics task force, all the way into detectives, chief of detectives, I was appointed chief of detectives and then boom now sheriff and chief.”

Sheriff Herford and chief Richard may lead different departments, but working together is what they do best.

“It’s so beneficial that we’ve been friends for so long and it just translates into our two departments,” Herford said.

From community involvement to joint investigations or just paling around, the comradery makes what they do run smoothly.

“One of the things that have come of this is we worked together on a lot of major cases,” Herford said.

The sheriff explained the combined manpower is mutually beneficial not just to each office, but to the community.

“That’s our common goal on both of our ends, in both our minds,” Richard said. “We do our jobs to benefit the public the best way we can and offer the best public safety we can put out there for them.”

They said they both agree learning from each other is the best thing about their partnership.

“As an administrator over a department, you run into something every day,” Herford said.

“When you come across the unknown or there’s the possibility of something being questionable that you can call your friend to get good sound advice,” Richard said.

Sometimes a sounding board, sometimes a shoulder to lean on.

“Everybody’s looking at us to solve their issues and that right there, to call [each other] and say ‘hey I have this going on in my life’ and it might be personal,” Richard said. “We all need those stress relievers and it’s just wonderful and a blessing that we have this.”

Of course, for these two it’s not all business.

“He’s coming with me this year fishing,” Herford said. “This spring we’re going to go take a five-day fishing trip and then in hunting season, we hunt together. Of course, I always kill bigger deer than he does. You know, at least he comes. At least he gets to come.”

Both departments are hiring. So if you are interested in law enforcement, you never know you might just get to work with your best friend too.