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Discussion: Eliminate The Flomaton Police Department
July 14, 2009
Days after the town’s police chief was released, Flomaton residents and some of the city’s council members were discussing eliminating Flomaton’s police department all together and turning law enforcement over to the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Department.
The discussion at a Flomaton City Council meeting Monday night had nothing to do with Mayor Dewey Bondurant’s decision last week to release Flomaton Police Chief Tim Hardage during his six month probation period. Rather, the discussion centered around funding.
Council member Buster Crapps said that Flomaton is in poor financial shape, and turning law enforcement over to the county would be a big savings. He also mentioned eliminating the town’s dispatchers are relying on the Escambia Sheriff’s Department to radio dispatch officers.
Sheriff Grover Smith told the council that his department would not able to enforce city ordinances, and that his current dispatch center is at capacity.
Smith said a centralized dispatch in Escambia County had been discussed for at least 15 years. The sheriff said he is currently working to move his dispatch center out of the county’s detention center and install improved equipment.
“We are maxed out on what we can safely control,” Smith said. “If our numbers rise, it would not be safe.” He said his department currently answers about 65 percent of the county’s 911 calls and dispatches not only his deputies but 17 volunteer fire departments, Brewton’s ambulance service and the county’s rescue squad. But he added he would do what was necessary for his dispatchers to help anyone in the county that needed his department’s help.
But Smith said his department currently responds to calls in Flomaton under just two circumstances — the Flomaton Police Department asks for assistance or the district attorney asks him to take an action in Flomaton.
“I respect the police chief and the people at the table,” Escambia County’s top cop said at Monday night’s Flomaton City Council meeting. “It’s smarter that we get along isn’t it?”
In the event Flomaton decided to turn their law enforcement duties over to the Escambia Sheriff, Smith said, “I will not be able to patrol and enforce city ordinances. I won’t be able to assign someone to just Flomaton.”
The council was unable to act on any business at their regular meeting Monday night with three of five council members absent due to illness. That prompted Mayor Bondurant to open the meeting into a public forum, allowing open discussion among those present. That public forum lead to the discussion about the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department taking over dispatch and perhaps law enforcement in Flomaton.
Bondurant said moving law enforcements duties from the town to the county was something just mentioned, not a proposal that the council has ever considered.
As for the town’s finances, the mayor said the town lost $93 in March and $157 in April. In the month of May, Flomaton had a $9,929 positive cash flow.
“Just because we have a net profit does not mean that we have a good cash flow,” Bondurant said. “We don’t have enough cash flow; that’s our problem.
Last week, Bondurant released Police Chief Tim Hardage (pictured left), telling NorthEscambia.com that the two did not see eye to eye. Monday night, Bondurant said he released Hardage during a six month probationary period, reiterating that he was not “fired” but “released”.
“I told him I would give him a positive reference,” Bondurant said of the former police chief. “In fact, he’s already been hired by Brewton.”
Terri Tolbert, Flomaton’s school resource officer, has temporarily taken over the chief’s duties, the mayor said, while a decision about the positions future is made.
At Monday night’s city council meeting, council members James Johnson, Roger Adkinson ahd John Samson were absent. Bondurant said he knew Johnson and Samson were out sick, and he believed that to be the case with Adkinson. Council member Buster Crapps and Clemente Brooks were present, but that did not provide the council with the quorum they needed to legally conduct business.
Pictured top: Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant addresses the audience at Monday night’s Flomaton City Council meeting while Council member Clemente Brooks looks on. Pictured top inset: Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith speaks to the council. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
16 Responses to “Discussion: Eliminate The Flomaton Police Department”
The city of Flomaton needs to hire real cops that will go out and do their jobs, like watching out for drug dealers instead of messing with the good people for a minor traffic violation.. That’s why these so called cops in flomaton has to set up roadblocks all the time and sit around to trap someone because they are not even smart enough to catch anybody… LOL !!!!! Y’ all need to get it together ; Maybe Flomaton would be a better place to live if they will hire REAL COPS that will help people instead of hurting them….
i DO think the town needs a police station ..BUT i think they need to clean house and get cop that do NOT live in flomaton…and i have read other comments and it seems like they feel they same way..why cant they keep cops???? what is the problem is it the pay or the people the cops have to work for???can someone tell me why flomaton’s mayor hasnt asked for money..brewton & atmore’s mayor is looking out for there town why hasnt the mayor done the same for flomaton ?? maybe if someone steps in and cleans out the cops and the mayor flomaton will be a better place to live….i thank goodness i dont live in flomaton
Man oh man! This meeting monday about closing down the police department. First of all I want to know ? Why is it taken this Longs for the Mayor to figure out to ask the state for ” Money” Apperantly Atmore and Brewton Cities are looking out for there Cities. What seems to be the Problem that Flomaton mayor was unaware of the need to know basic’s. It’s a shame that Flomaton has spent the last 15 years not applying for some kind of state Funds that could help the problems that has come forth to the City and police department. And sence the Status of experince to hold office should be I would think. Knowing about and how to apply for State Funds would be at the Top of the List of quilifations needed for holding the position for ( MAYOR ) is there anything else need to be said. Now that the Police Cheif is gone! Get! Gone ! Mayor and start fresh.
well i think it would be a good idea if they did close down the dep…or get some real cops..it’s seems like every week they have a new cop…can someone please tell me why they cant keep them….the one’s they have now think just because they are cops they think they can go around and do whatever they want..it’s not fair to the people who live in flomaton…and if they dont close the dep. down they need to fire all the cop and hire REAL one’s…one’s who dont live in flomaton and have all there family & friends here…because they favor some people over others and that’s not fair to the people who live here
Personally this would effect me if the mayor did this and its not fair to the people who are employed with the department and has been for 20 years.. County makes twice as much as dispatchers than the city and honestly there is no difference except a little bit more calls..Why does the department get blamed for everything? Does anyone ever wonder sometimes the actions that taken by the police department is necessary. Someone saids that an officer is bothering them but fails to mention all the DUIs that they have or drug charges. The community in a whole should be cleaned up not the officer
I THINK THE FLOMATON POLICE SHOULD NOT HIRE PPL FROM FLOMATON BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOW EVERYONE OR THEY ARE FAMILY…AND THE COPS ARE CROOKED…..THEY ONLY MESS WITH YOU IF THEY DONT LIKE YOU OR THERE FAMILY OR FRIENDS DONT LIKE YOU…THEY SHOULD HIRE REAL COPS THAT BECAME A COP FOR THE RIGHT REASONS….NOT TO FREAK WITH PPL THEY DONT LIKE….THEY THINK SINCE THEY ARE A COP THEY CAN DO ANYTHING AND I KNOW ONE COP THAT FREAKS WITH PPL BECAUSE HE HAS FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT DONT LIKE U …AND THATS NOT RIGHT…I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA IF THEY JUST DO AWAY WITH FLOMATON POLICE DEP….
Willard,
That is one way to encourage your children to go off to school and not come back. There will be no jobs if you are from Flomaton!!!
Well “Skeeter” I believe you are right.
But I say this with a little twist, Hire people not from the town as employees, secretaries, dispatchers, deputies etc. with NO kin folk, no friends or their grown up kids, no connection what so ever. JUst qualified people, There are plenty in the surrounding areas that would fill these jobs who are qualified out standing people. And by the way, Any and everyone who shops, buys gas or deals with any business in Flomation is involed.
Then have a person like, Mayor Bondurant to give them a 90 day probation period and carry on from there. I know it would be ashame not to hire town folk but maybe this would be the best way.
I wonder if the city of Flomaton knows that the sheriff of a county has the right to charge them whatever fee he deems necessary to provide law enforcement coverage. The sheriff may not even know. This may be a way for his department to get some extra money and he doesn’t even know it. In fact he probably doesn’t because he apparently thinks the district attorney’s office can tell him what to do by his statement made at the Flomaton council meeting. Sheriff…..the DA’s office can’t order you to do anything they can only ask. The judge is the only person that can order you to do anything. Quit passing the buck. This county never stops shocking me. And in response to getting rid of the police department…..ABSOLUTELY NOT.
You will never have everyone happy with a police department – EVER. Especially in a small town. Everyone knows everybody and many are related in one fashion or another. You are not gonna have happy people when they have been arrested for a crime or given a ticket for a traffic violation. There is always a bad apple in the bunch of any type group of people whether it is a police officer or a congregation. Police are supposed to be professional and respectful has far as it can be expected but no where does it say they have to be mistreated. People are scared to get a job for the Police Department that is why there is such a turn over. Accusations are a given but instead finding out the truth rumors are spread. People do not just wake up one morning and decide, “I think I’m gonna be the police today.” To most, it was a dream from their childhood (in their blood). They had to make it happen with training and schooling that never ends. These people are human with families and feelings. They get hungry, they have to “go to the bathroom”. Police officer pay taxes too, they are citizens of the same United States some in your same neighborhood. They get lied to on a daily basis and live with images of things in their head that we would pray we never have to see once. Citizens they deal with are either mad, sad, hurt, drugged or drunk or just confused. But this is their career, not just a job – the council need to understand need to learn about the police department – take part in the day to day scenes. Educate themselves to the operation personally – ask questions to the officers they would be glad to explain but learn first, understand first then make life changing, life altering decisions about someones career and means of taking care of their family.
Flomaton is in as much financial trouble as Century so there is no point is acting as if things are so bad here. If you look at Brewton and Atmore and Flomaton is right in between and is in this shape. Century does not have its own Police Dept. but, the Sheriff’s Dept. has a station here and is here just as if they are the Century Police. Century may not be getting everything that they deserve from the County but, i assure you that we are trying our best and our hardest.
Thank you, Mayor Bondurant, for staying the course & trying to find a solution to this ongoing issue. You & the council are in our family’s prayers. There HAS to be a way to save our police dept & we pray you will find it. May our town not become a casualty.
Doing away with the “Department” would be an injustice to not only the citizens of Flomaton, but the entire County. Cleaning House and hiring a better quality of officers is different. That’s more of an answer. The Town needs to look at budget allocation. Why is it spending money on a bridge that gives the drug dealers a direct route into and out of town that is off the beaten path? Why does the Fire Department have all this nice new equipment and fire house and the Police Department suffer? It’s time to pump some money into the Police Department. Raise the pay, raise the qualifications requirement, increase training and provide better equipment. When you pay more, you get people applying that have more experience and “MORALS”. Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department learned this fact after one Deputy shot his wife and another got caught night hunting on duty (just two examples of the bad behavior they had). They raised the pay, required a minimum 2 year degree and the quality of officers improved. You cannot raise the requirements without raising the pay. Leadership starts at the top. Mike Lambert proved that while he was the Police Chief. The recent Chief forgot this and it has trickled down though the ranks. CLEAN HOUSE!!!. Except for Terri, she’s the only one doing her job and showing leadership. The rest of them are a disgrace to the Town and uniform they wear.
Maybe you should hire all outsiders that do not have personal relations with the people who live there. Law officers are supposed to Serve and Protect, and Enforce the Law. Not run special favors for their friends. Your police department did not done things “by the book,” prior to police Chief T. Hardage. Get someone in there to do some ‘housecleaning,” not, business as usual.
Where will Flomaton’s revenue come from, if there are no town police to issue citations and traffic tickets? I doubt that sales tax will run your city government. Hold onto your police department or lawlessness will take over.
well…..here we go………….please please dont turn our town into a Century of problems. The mayor just has to get a handle on these guys, like he thought he would do when he moved them back to the city hall building. guess what, nope, he couldnt control them. i dont have all the answers, but eliminating the police dept is not the correct answer. not building a bridge to no where, that saves money, etc, etc, etc……
WHY ? ? ? ?? COME FLOMATON CAN NOT KEEP THEIR POLCIE…. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM ? ? NOT ENOUGH MONEY PER. HOUR… EVERYTIME YOU LOOK UP SOME NEW FACE ON THE FORCE ….. LOL LOL LOL , GET IT TOGETHER OK.