Jackson Free Press

Mayor Frank Melton swept into the city's mayor office July 4 with a badge and a side arm, determined to take a bite out of crime. During that time, he's taken part in numerous police raids, parading his image of a gun-toting crime fighter before the television cameras.

As Jackson's first democratically elected police chief, Melton has been hard at work trying to run out the bad guys. During that time, he's also announced dramatic changes in the city's police department. Changes were clearly on the way when Melton announced a proposal to shift police staffing priorities, moving away from the emphasis the vaunted Maple/Linder study put in 1999 on swelling officer ranks to more than 600 police officers in the city of Jackson.

Melton said he was more concerned about quality than quantity and wanted to pay existing officers better, rather than pull in new recruits.

"There are police in this town that still have to have two jobs to make ends meet," Melton said at an Aug. 4 COPS meeting. "We need to be worrying about helping these hard-working people keep food on their table."

Currently, a newly hired Jackson officer who is fresh out of the academy makes $23,000. After a year in the force, the salary bounces up to $28,000.

Getting the Lead Out

After his announcement that he would de-emphasize recruiting new officers, Melton immediately set about separating the wheat from the chaff.

The first police division that saw the chopping block was the decades-old Crime Prevention Unit, the staff of which was fired on Oct. 1, with only days' notice. Then, under fire for the axing, Melton challenged protesters on the City Council to point out the difference the unit had made in the city.

Melton said the emerging Quality of Life Division, under Constituent Services Director Goldia Revies, would assume the duties of the dissolved unit "within days." As of Dec. 9, however, the Quality of Life Division was still in the planning stages—months later.

Melton's administration is still dealing with the effects of the firings, however. Last week, members of the Crime Prevention Unit pled their case on the short notice of the firings at a Dec. 8 Civil Service Commission hearing.

The mayor told the council at the Oct. 4 meeting packed with protesters that new jobs would be found for the terminated employees, saying, "We've addressed that issue, and we've arranged for new jobs for them."

So far, however, the only successful relocation of a Crime Prevention Unit person to another city position is Robert West, formerly of the Crime Prevention unit of Precinct 1. West now works in license and permits in the city of Jackson. He was the only member of the unit who was an avid campaign worker for Melton in the last election.

Judge Breland Hillburn decided to move the Dec. 8 hearing to a later, undesignated date because subpoenaed council members were out of town on Dec. 8, despite the hearing being scheduled two months in advance. For his part, Mayor Melton was busily rounding up truants the day before the hearing and was presumed to be in the city, even though he did not respond to his own subpoena.

The hearing was also moved because the city had not supplied requested video and audio recordings and personnel information needed in the hearing. The new administration's response time to information requests from the Jackson Free Press regularly pushes or passes the 14-business day limit granted by state law.

City spokeswoman Carolyn Redd said the city would not make a statement on the stalled information request for the commission hearing.

'Beyond the Authority'

Attorney Sharon Gibson, who is representing the employees, asked the commission to produce an opinion to prompt a response from the city, but Steve Miller, an attorney for the city, told the commission that pushing for the city to get the lead out was "beyond the authority of the commission."

Melton asked Civil Service Commission members for their resignations 23 days after he entered office, along with members of all other city boards and commissions, including those he does not appoint or control. It was a request that this commission, as well as the others, did not heed.

"You'll need to file a very specific request for production so that we can know exactly what docket you're talking about, and we'll make a decision as far as what powers the commission has and has not," Hillburn told Gibson at the hearing.

JoAnne Harris, a crime prevention specialist in Precinct 4, said she would have been eligible to retire with full benefits if the city had waited another 15 days.

"They only needed to wait a few days, but Frank said his decision was final," Harris said.

Melton followed the Oct. 1 elimination of the Crime Prevention Unit nine days later with a warning to any police officers acting outside the scope of their duties. Deputy City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen announced Oct. 10 that the city was considering cutting back legal support for officers in some civil rights cases.

"If an officer does something clearly outside the course of the general orders in which the officer commits a criminal act—i.e. an assault on someone—the law says that we are not liable for those actions. We're just going to follow the law that's actually on the books," Teeuwissen said.

Since July, the city has also moved to terminate officers that Melton described as problem officers. Melton revealed to The Clarion-Ledger that the city has already released 16 officers from their duties. Melton told the paper he signed the latest of multiple termination papers last week.

Melton's office and the city legal department refused to release names of police officers terminated since July. The Jackson Free Press has filed information requests regarding the matter.

The mayor told The Clarion-Ledger that he was cleaning out "what should have been done years ago," saying the city's internal affairs department was preparing cases against more than one officer, according to The Clarion-Ledger.

Union Supports Firings

Juan Cloy, president of the Jackson Local Police Union 830, said he agreed that the firings should have happened a long time ago.

"Most of those disciplinary actions happened during (former Chief) Robert Moore's administration, and I can tell you that he dropped the ball on 90 percent of them," Cloy said. "It just seems that this administration is coming in and firing people, terminating them and all that stuff, but technically, that should have went on during Robert Moore's administration."

Melton told The Clarion-Ledger that the conduct of the officers did not "reflect the majority of the police department."

Nevertheless, members of the department will be feeling the tension, said Rich Robertson, public relations officer for the International Union of Police Officers.

"In almost any given situation where there are a large number of officers fired within a short period of time, there will always be tension among the rest of the police force," Robertson said. "The remaining police officers will not be able to do their jobs without worrying if they're doing the job right. Self-doubt will start to grow, and you'll have officers having second thoughts in situations where they really can't afford the luxury of second thoughts."

Some officers in the field say morale is falling among the patrolmen. Opinions, both favorable and critical, are difficult to collect on the record from sources who cite fear of retribution from the mayor's office. One officer, who asked for his name to be withheld, says Melton's intimate ties with local news agencies make talking to the press difficult because "you never know which reporter is your friend and which one isn't."

"Everybody is afraid, and you're not going to find anybody to say anything," the source said.

Police Chief Shirlene Anderson said morale among officers is doing well as far as she knows.

"Everything seems fine from where I'm standing," Anderson told the Jackson Free Press last week. "Nobody has brought any complaints to me.

Previous Comments

ID

79218

Comment

I wonder if the police officers dismissed are like the two Bureau of Narcotics agents who were wrongly accussed of wrong-doing? Where are the facts Melton?

Author

thabian

Date

2005-12-15T15:58:32-06:00

ID

79219

Comment

How exactly does Cheif Anderson know what really goes on in the JPD field? As far as the citizens of Jackson are aware, she is rarely seen and essentially has no job, other than to sit in the chair that Melton would like to have for his own! Unfortunantly, for the city and the patrolman, the mayor hired a police chief who is a puppet and essentially allows the mayor to do 'double-duty' since his real interest is NOT the City of Jackson, but in playing 'super-cop'. I most definantly was one of the supports for getting the old chief out - but of course, like many of the other citizens we are waiting on a REAL police chief to arrive.......oh - how long will it take? (Until Frank is GONE)

Author

Katie D

Date

2005-12-19T08:47:31-06:00

ID

79220

Comment

You do make a good point, Katie. How are Jacksonians going to "feel safe" with the fortress attitude the mayor and chief seem to be bent on projecting? One thing that frustrates me is that you can't even get them to talk about what they're doing well. I thought the last administration had problems dealing with the media. This administration makes them look like experts at it. You should talk about what your problems with the old chief were, by the way. Not in a personal-attack way, of course, not that you would—but in a way that will help us help a perception-vs.-reality discussion about the last administration and figure out just how we go to a place where so many Jacksonians hated a chief who oversaw nearly a one-third drop in crime during his tenure. One could argue that the hatred of the last chief/mayor was defeatism, and driven by terrible media coverage and a bit of institutional racism (I tend to), but I'm curious what solid reasons you have for hating the last chief.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-12-19T11:32:07-06:00

ID

79221

Comment

I just got to work and am spazzed out on cold medicine and re-read my earlier posts. I want to have the discussion about Chief Moore, Katie, but please understand I'm not going for the personal jugular here—I'm not asking you what you do not like about the former chief personally. That's irrelevent (although I've heard the word "ego" bandied about a lot, which is a personal characterization, and usually made by people with egos in their own right, it seems ). What I should have said is "what did you hate (or "dislike" or "disapprove of" about the way Moore did the job as police chief?" That's the only relevant question, although I know there are many folks out there who "hated" him just because he was appointed by a mayor they "hated." But ad hominem thinking and reasoning doesn't help us have a needed community discussion about our revolving door of police chiefs -- which I believe strongly is an overwhelmingly politically motivated battle that spills a lot of perceptions over into other arenas. I know in my dealings with Chief Moore that I was impressed—and I don't go into any relationship with a police officer or elected official with my mind made up. I form impressions based on what they say and do. I sat in on Comstat meetings and watched Moore, seemingly at least, command respect from precinct commanders as they went precinct by precinct and discussed the crime of the past week, where it happened, what was happening to target those areas. They held those meetings every Wednesday, I believe. I had very frank discussions with the chief about all sorts of issues — from perception to the difficultues of community policing to the media's role in creating a safe community. He would and could get below the surface. I also watched him quoted so many times far out of context that it disgusted me at the sheer unfair and unbalanced-ness of it all. And, of course, the drops in crime numbers were very impressive under Moore -- although crime stats only tell so much of the story, of course. But when it's that dramatic, it tells a significant part of the story, at least if you break them down to see what is actually happening. I truly believe the culture of violence was getting better in the city of late. I do worry that taking an Old West approach to "fighting crime" will, in fact, bring that culture of lawlessness back up, but that's a discussion for when I don't have cold medicine in me. ;-) But I'm open to suggestions on Chief Moore. I've asked many, many people over the years for their specific complaints about him and haven't gotten much further than "too egotistical." (Anyone met the crime-fighters in the vaunted Giuliani administration? I have. Ego is part of crime-fighting and prevention, but only if it is coupled with good policing theory and practice and honesty with the public. I often worry that Shirlene has too little "ego" -- meaning, in this case, public confidence -- at Council meetings and press conferences, she tends to look like a doting secretary just ready to defend the mayor. Maybe she's different on the force, but she doesn't project a "leadership" persona.) It reminds me of my friend the police commander in New York -- lots of folks thought he was egotistical, but he didn't care. He did what he believed was right -- which happened to be focus on community policing, bring cops-on-bikes to Manhattan, focus on "broken windows" issues, helped educate communities on how they could help keep themselves safer, and many other proactive measures. When he was still a precinct commander, he would call his own precinct to see how they answered the phone. Did all this go over well with all the cops? No, it wasn't supposed to. Anyway, let's have a good discussion on what specifically Moore did well and didn't, with the aim of discussing what is needed now and in the future -- and how to make sure that these things don't get all twisted out of proportion by a sensationalistic media. Carry on.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-12-19T13:35:56-06:00

ID

79222

Comment

I do not, nor did 'hate' Chief Moore, I simply was all for his leaving. Ego, however, was not a big component behind my feelings. In comparrison to our current chief, Chief Moore did at least allow the citizens to see and experience a drop in many of the major area listed in the Crime Statistic Report - however, from a prior law enforcement perspective, my biggest reason for seeing Chief Moore gone was based on his being unavailable to 'his' employees. Not that I would have expected him to open his door continually, but he placed the morale and many of the central issues of his employees well below the 'need' level. If your officer's feel they are out in the field working without support - the morale tends to fall which is what occurred. In many areas he did an okay to fine job, BUT the key issue is your employees and the relevance for their doing the job they were, and are expected to do. Under Moore, there was a general feeling of lack of support and leadership from within! But 'hate' is a strong word, one which comes closer to expressing my general feelings of the one sitting in the mayor's seat at present, and of course lack of leadership just shook hands with the last administration and continues to date.

Author

Katie D

Date

2005-12-19T22:12:34-06:00

ID

79223

Comment

Understood on the "hate" thing, Katie; I overstepped with that word. That implies personal animosity, and that's not what you had said. (Others, on the other hand ... .) And I can see what you're saying; "morale" is a vital issue, and if Chief Moore wasn't concerned enough about the morale of his troops, then that was a problem that should have been addressed. As for the current mayor, I don't "hate" him at all. He's very personable, and I could probably like him as a person if I got to know him better. However, my feelings about him personally aren't at issue; it's the job he's doing that matters. On that front, there is very little to impress so far.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-12-19T22:23:03-06:00