Earle PD, Council still working on policy manual

Earle PD, Council still working on policy manual

Councilman wants consensus on new guidelines

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Earle will likely hold a special meeting to go over changes to its police procedures and policies manual.

Capt. John Couch gave the city council a rough draft of the new manual and asked for their feedback, but several on the council felt it would be better to discuss it as a group at a later date.

“We can all read this from the first page to page one hundred,” said Councilman Bobby Luckett. “But in order for it to work right we all have to be in agreeance with the policies.”

Couch said the current manual is only two pages long and hasn’t been updated in years and is inadequate as far as the training and expectation requirements for its offices.

“They were very, very short and not effective at all,” Couch said. “It didn’t really explain very much.”

Couch said it is very important that the city have a comprehensive policy and procedures manual for both training and liability purposes.

The draft is closely modeled on the one used by Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department and covers topics such as employee and training requirements, vacation, sick leave and holidays, injury on the job, sexual harassment, drug policy, promotions and performance evaluation, off duty employment, racial profiling, use of deadly force, vehicle pursuit, firearms policy, evidence collection, records and reports, and arrests.

“At the last meeting I did ask that the council read it over and find some things that you wanted to ask questions about,” Couch said.

Councilman Donnie Cheers asked Couch how the internal ranks within the department would be determined.

“I had an opportunity to read it through and it lists sergeant. Who in our department would be the one to initiate the rankings?” Cheers asked.

Couch said the chief would make those determinations.

“So if we don’t have a chief…” Cheers started before being interrupted by Mayor Carolyn Jones.

“We have a chief right now. Me,” Jones interjected. “But we’re going to get one.”

“So would you be the one initiating that as far as the next person in line?” Cheers continued. “So my questions is, who would be the next person in line?”

Jones again interjected and said the city would already have a chief if the council would stop interfering.

“Well, if you had let me alone we would have a chief,” Jones said. “When I hired officers I got complaints that I had too many. When I laid them off, (I got complaints) we didn’t have enough. Leave me alone and the city would run a whole lot smoother.”

Jones is facing a recall for her controversial handling of the city’s affairs.

The city is on its third police chief since Jones took office. Jerry Eaves was let got when Jones took office. Former Chief Tyrone Smith was also fired by Jones and is now suing the city, and interim Chief Mary Fowler quit because of interference and pressure by Jones in police affairs. Cheers said he was under the impression that the city already had most of the proposed policies in place.

But according to Couch, the manual is only two pages and hasn’t been revised.

“I will be very frank,” Couch said. “Since I have been here I have not seen any other policies and procedures.”

Jones said she would get together with the city council and set a date for a meeting to discuss the manual changes.

“That’s fine because like you said, we’re all going to have to agree on it,” Jones said.

By Mark Randall