After Mayor Gregory Route conducted the roll call of the Aldermen, the board began last week’s (June 28) Council meeting. The first order of business was an address to the board and the mayor from Frankie Crosby of Franklinton, who serves on the Parish School Board. During his address, Mr. Crosby voiced his concerns regarding the necessity of an internal affairs office for the Police Department.
Mr. Crosby explained that last year he believed he was wrongfully arrested and detained after videoing an interaction between his son and the police. He filed a complaint against the officer due to his arrest, but he claims the complaint was dismissed due to personal bias in the workplace because the internal affairs officer works within the police department.
After Mr. Crosby took his seat, Chief Justin Brown of the Franklinton Police Department addressed the public and the council, stating that the department does, in fact, have an internal affairs officer. Also, Chief Brown responded to Mr. Crosby with the question, "If I'm not mistaken, you plead guilty in a court of law about a week and a half ago for those charges, is that correct?" To which Mr. Crosby answered: "But that doesn't excuse what the officers did."
Once Mr. Crosby and Chief Brown finished their exchange, Mayor Route said to those present at the meeting, "Every since I've been mayor here I watch everything that goes on in this town, I try to be as fair as I possibly can be." Mayor Route then directed attention to the police officers in the back of the room, and explained that these are the men he has promoted and that they are willing to serve without a pay raise until the next budget year. He then pointed to the back of the room again and said, "If y'all don't want them tell them, look them in the face and tell them."
Alderman Darwin Sharp responded, "I think we need officers on the street, we don't need other officers in offices."
Alderman Sharp added, "We need to move on with this meeting, now what's the deal with the major and the captain?"
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Mayor Route responded, "I already appointed them, and if y'all don't want them, tell them now."
To which Alderman Sharp said, "I don't think we need y'all… They're good friends of mine, but I want to see officers on the street patrolling, not sitting behind a desk."
Mayor Route then redirected the meeting and said, "Anyway, Mr. Knight (town attorney) told me at the last meeting that I could make this appointment. If it's a change in the budget I had to bring it to you all to vote on it, there's no change in the budget."
Alderman Sharp then showed Mayor Route, and everyone present at the meeting, a personnel policy manual on how to appoint and hire personnel from January 2016, and said, "This is the instruction booklet on how we promote people in… all the departments in the town of Franklinton. We need to follow it, we're not following it."
The mayor responded to Mr. Sharp and said "I don't agree with that."
Following this disagreement, the council moved onto item two on the evening's agenda. The council then voted to authorize the mayor to sign an act of donation from the American Legion of Franklinton, which means that the building on the property of the dissolved legion will be given to the town of Franklinton. After item two was voted on and briefly discussed, the Mayor moved the meeting to item number three, which was a vote to declare a 1999 firetruck as surplus property. The vote passed unanimously. The council then voted to approve an advertisement for any bids on the fire truck.
After a vote to accept a $41,277 bid on the 14 acre surplus property located on Highway 16, the board moved to discuss a bid which was made for an automatic payment kiosk to be located outside of Town Hall. The only bid for this machine was $40,876, and since this new kiosk was viewed as a necessity by the board members, the Aldermen accepted the bid.
After the discussion surrounding the bids, the meeting then moved onto departmental reports, during which Chief Brown revisited the meeting's earlier discussions surrounding the mayor's authority to promote and hire employees, and he then explained that these new promotions will cause problems with his officer's morale.
After conversing with the mayor, the chief moved onto current events within his department. Chief Brown said, "We did have an armed robbery, we have a warrant issued in that case."
After the departmental reports, the mayor motioned to move on to council discussion. The council and the public continued discussions for the next hour, with many citizens from the town of Franklinton in attendance to voice their concerns, many of which involved the current issue of promotions in the police department.
One of the concerned citizens who spoke at the meeting, Ms Tate of Franklinton, said, "This town is divided, we can't work together." After several citizens addressed their similar concerns, the board moved onto council discussion, after which the meeting was adjourned.
