Jackson Free Press

Last week Mayor Melton appointed his bodyguard, a 15-year police officer with little supervisory experience, to the position of assistant chief, granting him a $31,000 raise and, presumably, a considerable jump in responsibilities. Sgt. Michael Recio appears to be leapfrogging a few bullet points on the typical chief's resume thanks to his association with Frank Melton.

This appointment is another Melton-orchestrated blow to the credibility of the Jackson Police Department. Not only is the position being filled by someone who is arguably not qualified to take over as chief if the current chief steps down, but the chief of police herself, Shirlene Anderson, suggested to the City Council that she wasn't even part of the decision-making process. That's absurd.

Recio's most obvious qualification is his loyalty to Melton. Between Melton's stint at the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and his election as mayor, Recio was on Melton's private payroll as a bodyguard while still collecting a salary as a Jackson police officer.

Prior to Melton's election, Recio was placed on a leave of absence by then-Chief Robert Moore after Recio toured Melton and other civilians through the restricted 911 emergency response offices. When Melton took office, Recio was reinstated and assigned to Melton's personal entourage.

Recio has recently faced felony charges with the mayor because of his involvement in the destruction of a Ridgeway Street duplex. While he never denied taking part in that destruction, a jury acquitted him (along with Melton and Det. Marcus Wright) of a crime.

Melton's move could be a near fatal blow to morale in JPD, which has already suffered from considerable attrition under Melton and Anderson.

In addition, Melton is adding officers to the "protective detail" that he controls, boosting the pay for those police officers. The protective detail appears to be the group of "bodyguards" that he regularly takes with him to his office, into his home, and on business and personal trips.

On the JFP's Web site this week, discussions have taken an increasingly frustrated tone as Jackson citizens lament the lack of a mechanism for stopping Melton from rending the city apart. Unfortunately, Mississippi has no codified process for the recall of a mayor—we suggest the Jackson-area legislative delegation introduce such a recall bill for 2008.

In the meantime, we encourage readers to remember that "support the troops" now has a local connotation, too—we need to support JPD officers in their day-to-day duties and in their protests of Mayor Melton's management style. We call on the City Council to keep a firm hand on this process; if Chief Anderson steps down, a proper search should be made for a qualified replacement. Being Melton's bodyguard does not qualify Sgt. Recio for the job.

Previous Comments

ID

75434

Comment

Maceo earned that promotion. James Brown couldn't get so funky without that funky horn player. We'll see if it was a mistake. Looks quite wrong though at this point.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-10-10T16:37:46-06:00

ID

75435

Comment

In the meantime, we encourage readers to remember that “support the troops” now has a local connotation, too—we need to support JPD officers in their day-to-day duties and in their protests of Mayor Melton’s management style. Absolutely. The good cops need our support now more than ever.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-10-10T20:35:30-06:00

ID

75436

Comment

My support to the officers who bravely stood up to the tyrant.I pray other JPD officers find the strength to stand up and say this is a mockery of anything related to law and order. This is becoming the wild wild west.

Author

GRNY1

Date

2007-10-11T02:14:28-06:00