Former employee calls for police chief’s job

By Carrie A. Mizell

Days after resigning from his job as a Trenton patrolman, a former employee began circulating a petition within the city of Trenton that calls for Police Chief Billy Smith’s job.
As of Monday, the petition had 350 signatures on it.
Amidst controversy, Lonnie Wilkerson, Jr. resigned his position as a patrolman with the Trenton Police Department on August 9 and has since started a petition calling for Smith to be fired.
In the petition, Wilkerson states that the city has a growing drug problem and rising crime rate, which he alleges the police chief is doing nothing about.
Wilkerson also questions Smith’s “questionable work hours” and maintenance of an “unorganized environment” at the police department.
“He has cases that he is investigating that not only have no conclusion, but no progress,” Wilkerson states in the petition.
Other alleged inefficiencies cited in the petition include Smith allowing a police officer to sleep on the job. Wilkerson goes so far as to say that Smith rarely goes on patrol himself and when he does it is only in limited areas.
“Mayor Thigpen and the city commission must confront this problem and dismiss Mr. Smith in order to help us maintain the integrity and safety of our city,” Wilkerson states in the petition.
On Monday evening, Trenton Mayor Glen Thigpen said he was unaware Wilkerson had a problem with Chief Smith prior to hearing about a petition circulating in Trenton.
“I am deeply concerned about the accusations contained within the petition being circulated by Mr. Wilkerson,” Thigpen said. “Mr. Wilkerson has not made an effort to plea to the city manager or board of commissioners prior to taking this irrational action.”
Thigpen went on to say that Wilkerson’s resignation from the city police department came suddenly after an incident in which he received corrective consultation.
“I believe his actions may be a direct result of this incident,” Thigpen said.
The mayor also pointed out that Wilkerson’s term of employment with the Trenton Police Department would have come to an end at the completion of this fiscal year, because his position was being funded by the Byrne Grant, which the Trenton Police Department did not get for the 2011 fiscal year.
“Neither the police chief, city manager, nor myself have received any of the complaints contained in the petition prior to Mr. Wilkerson’s resignation,” Thigpen continued.
According to Duke Lang, attorney for the City of Trenton, if the petition is brought before the Trenton City Council then Mayor Glen Thigpen will have the option to accept the petition into the record, but it is up to the city council to take action on this issue. Lang explained that the city does not govern by petition and therefore it will be up to the city council to act in the best interest of the citizens of Trenton.
Trenton Police Chief Billy Smith said on Tuesday morning that he was disappointed that some citizens would sign a petition, just taking for granted what one person says without looking into it themselves.
In answer to some of the petition’s charges, Smith said that the crime rate in the City of Trenton went down 22 percent last year. He also explained that his job is a salaried position, which does not have set hours. Therefore, when the police chief works late, or on the weekend, he adjusts his schedule to comp the time. As for the city’s drug problem, Smith said that he works daily to combat the drug problem, but it’s not easy; and pills have become the primary drug problem within the city.
“I have identified several targets, but I can’t just walk up to them and make a buy, and arrest them,” Smith explained.
The police chief said that he has been serving as a police chief for almost 15 years all total, and he has never had a complaint filed against him.
“I just hope the city council will look into this before making a hasty decision,” Smith said. “I encourage the city manager and the mayor to look into all the charges he [Wilkerson] has made against me.”