Franklinton Police Chief Justin Brown is the target of a state ethics investigation.
Brown said he received a letter from the Louisiana Board of Ethics last week notifying him that he is being investigated for payroll issues during last year’s Hurricane Ida emergency.
The chief said he has no idea who filed the complaint with the state agency. Brown said ethics complaints can be made on an anonymous basis.
But, he noted, whoever filed the complaint either had access to the Town of Franklinton’s payroll records, or received town payroll information from someone who had access.
Brown said he is puzzled by the complaint. He said that during the hurricane and its aftermath, FEMA provided funding so that all police officers who worked extra hours would receive emergency extra compensation. He said he turned in his hours and was compensated for them.
Brown also noted that Franklinton Mayor Greg Route approved his emergency pay. The chief said no one at City Hall ever raised any concerns about his Hurricane Ida compensation. So he said it is surprising that fully one year later an ethics complaint has been made.
At this point, the ethics complaint is just that: a complaint. It will be investigated by the Louisiana Board of Ethics and Brown will be gven an opportunity to respond to the complaint.
Brown said he has done nothing wrong, and he fully expects the complaint to be dismissed.
Last year, Brown was at the center of an attempt by Mayor Route to remove him as police chief in favor of former Chief Olander Smith. The removal effort failed when the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office issued an opinion stating that the mayor and the board of aldermen must jointly approve the removal. More recently, Brown has faced an issue where the mayor sought to promote officers within the police department without Brown’s input or approval.
All of the ongoing issues have been stressful, Brown said last week. But he noted that he is not about to quit. “I am not a quitter,” he said. “I do not intend to let my officers or the citizens of Franklinton down.”
Brown said if the ethics complaint is found to be without merit, he will consider legal action against the person or persons who filed the complaint.
(Editor’s note: The ethics complaint is anonymous, but it is expected that it will be discussed at the Tuesday, August 23 meeting of the Franklinton Mayor and Board of Aldermen. If it is discussed, this article will be updated on era-leader.com and in the next edition.
Also, Chief Brown has been quoted in this article, but because the ethics complaint was filed anonymously, as of now the person filing the complaint cannot be contacted for a comment. If the person (or persons) who filed the ethics complaint either steps forward or is otherwise identified, he or she will be contacted by The Era-Leader for a comment, in the interest of fairness.)
