Police chief’s appeal falls on deaf ears

By Carrie A. Mizell

Despite a lengthy appeal, the Trenton City Commissioners spent little time on discussion before voting unanimously to uphold their city manager’s decision to terminate Police Chief Billy Smith’s position.
Smith’s attorney Ray Earl Thomas, Jr. spoke at length on Tuesday night about the “journey” the city commissioners and the police chief have been on since City Manager Taylor Brown terminated his position on November 5.

Brown’s decision came after the city’s personal committee investigated the police chief’s actions and found that 11 of 20 complaints against the chief were substantiated. According to the Chief of Police Rules & Regulations, one or more of the complaints, if found to be true, was just cause to terminate Chief Smith. The substantiated complaints against the police chief ranged from the police chief maintaining an unorganized environment at the police department to his disgraceful handling of evidence.
Thomas argued that State Attorney Bill Cervone stated in a letter that no cases from within the City of Trenton had been dismissed due to a lack or mishandling of evidence by the Trenton Police Department. The police chief’s attorney also told the commissioners that he had obtained three years worth of logs from the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office which show radio contact with dispatch indicating in Thomas’ words, “The chief did work 40 hours a week give or take.” Thomas also encouraged the commissioners to look at the nature of the complaints against the chief.
Michael K. Grogan, a labor and employment lawyer hired to represent city manager Taylor Brown, told the commissioners that if they chose to side with Chief Smith rather than their city manager, after all the investigation revealed then he had serious concerns that the city would be open to further liability issues.
Several character witnesses spoke on Smith’s behalf, including John Riordan, a reserve officer with the Trenton Police Department, who said that the chief had never acted in an unprofessional manner towards him or any other city employees.
A handful of other city residents spoke of the chief’s willingness to assist with drug problems in their neighborhoods, handle identity theft cases and problems with stolen vehicles.
Donna Fagan, executive director of Another Way, said she had never worked with a more unprofessional law enforcement officer than Chief Billy Smith in all her 20 years experience with the organization and in dealing with the 16 other law enforcement agencies Another Way interacts with.
Fagan told the commissioners that an Another Way staff member had called the police chief after a Trenton woman had reportedly been raped in July 2010.
The staff member contacted the police chief so he could investigate the case and an examination of the victim could proceed. Chief Smith reportedly told the Another Way staff member that he had met with the victim and she hadn’t been raped.
“In my 20 years of experience, I know it is not the job of a law enforcement officer to decide whether or not a victim has been raped,” Fagan said. “While interacting with us, Chief Smith was certainly unprofessional.”
Despite Chief Smith’s testimony that if his position was reinstated he would make necessary changes within the Trenton Police Department, City Commissioner Arlene Wilks made a motion to approve of the city manager’s decision to terminate the police chief. With a second from City Commissioner Marcia Hellams, the commissioners voted 4-0 to stand behind Taylor Brown’s decision.
Commissioner Tim Kinsey was absent from the meeting due to work obligations.