The Red River Parish Police Jury has been dealing with the conditions of roads in the parish that were damaged by gas exploration operations.  The jury has been looking for ways to get the companies doing the damage to pay for the repairs.

At the July jury meeting, Harold Woodard was introduced.  He was recently hired to be the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer.  The jury has revised its permit system for oversize and overweight vehicles, including penalties for trucks that damage roads.  Woodard has been hired to put some teeth into those regulations.

Woodard described himself as having 35 years’ experience in law enforcement after serving in the Army in Viet Nam.  He said he had road construction experience from Viet Nam.  Woodard said, “I know what trucks will do to roads and if you don’t hold peoples feet to the fire it will continue here in Red River.”

Board President Shawn Beard said Woodard “is a law enforcement officer and he will build the enforcement program as it needs to be.  Beard added, “Our enforcement system is a joke.  He has the experience to build our enforcement unit from the ground up, the enforcement to do the job here.”