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| NEWS > 15 June 2009 |
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FayObserver.com - Fayetteville
15 June 2009
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Ethics in Policing
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Plan would disband Spring Lake
SPRING LAKE - Town leaders are considering a proposal to effectively shut down the Spring Lake Police Department, a step that officials said is necessary to eventually restore law enforcement powers.
Interim Chief Gregg Jarvies presented the proposal during a budget meeting Monday. The plan would mean firing the town's 11 remaining officers and two dispatchers. He also presented an 18-month timeline with the goal of Spring Lake police returning to the streets by mid-2010.
Until then, the town would contract with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office for all policing.
Jarvies said he and Faison thought it was the "only feasible option" after several talks with county officials, including Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth Keever and District Attorney Ed Grannis. Neither Keever nor Grannis said they pushed for the firing of all officers. But Keever said she told Jarvies he would need to review every officer because of credibility issues.
"Starting from scratch may be easiest," she said Monday.
The town lost its police powers after two supervising officers were charged with crimes in May, including embezzlement, kidnapping and obstruction of justice. A probe of the Police Department by the State Bureau of Investigation in ongoing.
Jarvies said the proposal was necessary because of the time it will take for the department to earn the trust of county officials - the first step to the department regaining police powers.
He said the only other options were to pay the officers while contracting with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, which would be a drain on town resources and a poor use of officers' time.
Under the proposal, the department would operate with only an interim chief, receptionist and a civilian to oversee equipment.
No action was taken Monday. Mayor Ethel Clark said a decision would be made probably by the end of the month.
Grannis' office has dismissed all pending misdemeanor cases from the department and is looking at felonies on a case-by-case basis. He said more than 1,000 misdemeanor charges were dropped because of questions about the officers' ethics and credibility.
If the plan to shut down the department is approved, the fired officers would be given two weeks' notice and would receive a month's severance. They were notified of the plan Monday morning.
"It's not something I've had to do before," Jarvies said. "I've never known it to happen in a police department."
He said the move would effectively punish "decent individuals and good police officers for the actions of others." But, he added, he saw no other choice.
"Obviously, it's a kick in the gut," he said. "They and their families are going to be impacted."
Jarvies said several nearby departments are looking for new officers, and he would be a reference for anyone looking for another police job.
"I'll do what I can to help them," he said.
The officers would not be prevented from applying to the department when hiring begins again, he said.
The proposal weighs heavily on town leaders, Alderman Nellie McCoy said.
"It doesn't seem fair," she said. "It's very cold, and I just can't understand doing people like this at all."
Clark also expressed her regret with having to consider the option.
"I hate for us to even have to do it," she said. "I didn't think it would come to that point."
Jarvies said the proposal came about after several talks with officials.
"It became apparent that there could be no allowance for existing personnel," he told aldermen. "The entire department has to be rehired under new, different and tougher standards."
The move stood in stark contrast to Jarvies' earlier stated goal of leaving in place as much of the department as possible.
"Our initial goal was to transition the Police Department back to duty," Jarvies said. But none of the town's plans were accepted by county officials.
"The response was very clear - it has to be a new department," he said.
Clark said the town's residents want and deserve their own department.
Whether they will have it within Jarvies' proposed timeline is still in question.
Grannis said the department would be "very fortunate" to begin handling misdemeanors in the next year or two. He said felonies weren't even being considered as an option at this time. Keever and Grannis said any timetable would depend on the department's next full-time chief.
Grannis said he admires Jarvies but can't move forward to restore police powers unless Jarvies was to commit to staying a year or two, or until a permanent chief is in place. Jarvies' contract runs until September with an option to extend if he and the town board agree.
"That's kind of like buying a car from a dealership that won't be around in six months," Grannis said. "If you don't know who your chief is going to be in a Spring Lake-type situation, that means everything."
Grannis also said that if the department is to overcome its current problems, the town would have to invest in its police force. He said the department has not been funded enough in the past.
The town's pay structure for its Police Department puts it at a disadvantage in hiring and retaining quality officers, Grannis said.
In a letter to the town last week, Grannis and Sheriff Moose Butler said the town needs competent leadership and a fully funded department if it wants to establish a competent police agency.
Grannis said the town's failure to recruit sufficient officers contributed significantly to the current situation.
"It appears to us that the Town of Spring Lake faces daunting challenges in rebuilding a competent, credible law enforcement team," Grannis wrote. "Events over the last two years have raised questions regarding the enforcement of criminal laws by the Town of Spring Lake. We believe it will take a lot of money and competent, professional leadership to rebuild this department."
Jarvies touched on the pay issue Monday, asking aldermen to commit to spending "the funds necessary to recruit, retrain, train and equip" quality officers.
"The fiscal aspects really need to be addressed," Grannis said. "If you can't do it right, you really are better off contracting services."
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