Police Chief Gary Fontenot said Wednesday he welcomes the opportunity to sit down with St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz and discuss citizens' claims of police persecution.

He said he had talked briefly with Guidroz and that the two would get back together when the sheriff returns to the parish later in the week.

Guidroz told Eunice citizens Tuesday night that he will bring bickering parties to the table in an attempt to resolve a police-community relations problem.

"This is the second time in a year that I have been here regarding the same kinds of complaints. Something's wrong. If police officers are terrorizing a neighborhood it has to stop. If it's miscommunication it has to be corrected," Guidroz said.

Some African American citizens assert that two African American officers are targeting their race for a host of alleged violations and they have made recurring complaints to the Eunice department about them.

"I would like to sit down with the parties for discussion and see if we can get to the bottom of it," the sheriff said.

"After that I'll say what I think, but only after everyone's been heard," Guidroz added.

He said he would be out of the parish on Wednesday but would begin Thursday trying to set up that sit-down.

"No citizens should have to be fighting the police. I want to meet with the chief and see what we can do," he said.

Chief Fontenot has asked the Opelousas Police Department to investigate two complaints against Officer A.J. Frank.

Fontenot was not present at Tuesday night's meeting and had no department representative there.

Othe public officials on hand were State Rep. Mickey Guillory and Ward 2 Alderwoman Marguerite Fruge-Simpson.

Guillory, a retired state trooper, said the City Council could be asked to request an investigation.

Fruge-Simpson said she would work on getting such a resolution before and passed by the council.

Tuesday night, the citizens added shift supervisor Lt. Varden Guillory to the list, claiming he led sweeps through predominantly African American neighborhoods last Friday night, stopping and ticketing persons who have been most visible in the complaint process, including activist and group leader George Fisher.

Fisher again asked for the chief to suspend or dismiss both Frank and Guillory.

Barring that he said the chief should resign and people should ask the City Council to fire the officers, since they hired them.

"It's time for this to stop. This community has had enough," he said.

Clifton Lemelle said Eunice is at a critical juncture, saying "it's not us against them, it's about the city we all live in."