12-13-1958 Special Called Meeting113
Deeember.13, 1958
Special called meeting of Mayor and. Council, City of Smyrna was held at City Hall
December 13, 1958 at 10:00 o'clock A. M.
Meeting was called to order on schedule with Mayor J. M. Gibson presiding and all
councilman except Mr. L. C, Dodd were present, Also in attendance.,were Bill Miles
and Ben Green Cooper of the press,, Mr. Shepherd of Smyrna Chamber of Commerce and
interested citizens.
Mayor and Council received the prepared report of Hensley and Associates on the
"Master Plan" -which had -been in preparation for the past six months, as well as an oral
report covering the city's progress and future expansion in the area of "Land Use".
The report, including illustrative maps called out an,orderly development program
to be published by the press in January 1959.
The major fields covered:
(1) Growth of the city
(2) Regional setting
(3) Planning for the future
(4) Existing zoningr residential and commercial and the creation of a new
business district.
(5) Existing land -m e
(6) Topography and fu-*e residential development.
(7) Population statistics, past, current and future.
(8) Survey of current housing - good, fair and poor.
(9) ,School facilities - current and future reeuirements.
r (10) Parks and playgrounds.
(11) Public services, library, health center, police, fire and adequate water
and sewer systems.
(12) Major street planning, major thoroughfafes, one way streets and industrial
park area to the south of the city.
Mr. M.-J: and Sam,Hensley stated, in answerto questions that the •first.step towatds
activation of the plan was selling it to the citizens and that zoning ordinances should
follow.
Council voted to allow additional time to chairman Bill Miles, to complete and
present his report and recommendations of the citizens education committee.
Special meeting adjourned 11:50 A.M., 12-13-58.
December 22, 1958
A special called meeting of the Mayor and Council of the City,of,Smyrna was held
in the City Hall in Smyrna.. Georgia on December 22, 1958 at 7 o'clock P.M., pursuant
to the call and notice of the Mayor.
All councilmen were,present frith the Mayor presiding.
Mayor and Council received the report and recommendations of the .Committee on
Education through Bill. Miles, Chairman of the Committee, and a copy of the same is
attached to these minutes.
Motion was made by Councilman Kreeger and seconded by Councilman Ables, after 's
hearing the Committees report, that the legislative delegation from Cobb County be
requested to inteoduce legislation at the forthcoming term•of the legislature seeking �`a
to amend the State Constitution so as to authorize an independent school system for =_:
the City of Smyrna in view of the anticipated savings that would accrue to the citize
of Smyrna through such a plan.
The motion was unanimously passed by the Council and a copy of the statement p
this action is attached to these minutes.
Following this special called meeting held by the Mayor and Council, Councilmen
Sanders, Woods, Ables, Brooks and Kreeger remained with Councilman Kreeger, the Mayor
pro tem, serving as the presiding officer. Motion was made by Councilman Ables and
seconded by Councilman Sanders that this assemblage,be considered a special meeting of
the council to cosi'der�complaints from the Police Department. By unanimous vote of
the Councilmen pre exit tem s he' ting was considered a spedial -meeting-of'the Council of
the City of Smyrna .with the Mayor -pro tem presiding.
Officer, R. M. Clark, along with several other members:joV the_ Smyrna Police De- '
b•6fye, the Council on behalf- of the Police Department and submitted -
en o grievances concerning'the wor°.ng conditions in and operations
Continuation of December- 22,, 1958 t
of the City of Smyrna Police Department, concluding with a tender of resignation
from ten -of the members of the Department.
Mayor pro tem Kreeger requested that the resignations be withdrawn pending
investigation of -the charges.and that the officers continue their -employment until
the problems involved could be solved.
Motion was made by Councilman Ables and duly seconded by Councilman Woods that
the officers be continued in the Cityls employ at their previous status effective
immediatley, and that no reprisals or disciplinary action be taken against any
officers of -the Police Department joining in the complaints to Council because of
,such complaints. `
- .The motion was passed unanimously.
Councilman Ables then moved that a full hearing of the complaints be held at
the regular January, 1959 meeting of the Mayor and Council.
The motion was seconded by Councilman Sanders and passed unanimously.
The officers were instructed by Council to remain on the -job-in.their present
employment with the City of'Smyrna until -the January; 1959 meeting.
Upon motion duly made and seconded the meeting was adjourned. Minutes recorded
by G. Conley Ingram.
MEMO: Attached, -to these minutes and made a part thereof is the original typed
report of grievance and'the Police Officers -signature's from Page No.9 of submitted
written report.
'IV 7
Gibson =Y Clerk., . W. Charles,
•
Councilman J. V.Brooks-
IV, ,AE
Councilman Go. eeg
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DuneWood
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TO THE HONORABLE 1,JAYOR AND POLICE, C-1-111 AN AND COUNCII M, OF TIE CITY OF ST=A:
WE, as employees of the City, do her6by respectfully submit this grievance to
you against the Chief of Police.
Following is a list of grievances which we, the members, believe will show that
the present Chief is not qualified for his job.
Also,' we wisli that if it please his Honor,the Mzyor and Police Committee Chair-
man, that this be a closed meeting of the Police Department and only those involved be
allowed to remain in the conference room.
I. I14ismanagement of Police Department.
(1) No proper reporting system of crimes committed in the City. (Some time
members of the department dontt know a crime has been.co.�mitted Until some
of the merchants tell him of it).
(2) File system not inept up to date. No 1I.0. file;no wanted file. Files
not kept in order where men can fine the proper information.
(3) No information obtained on case by Chief is passed along to anyone in
the department. (ever when man is working on case. Chief kee-s all infor-
mation secret.
(4) No one in office on Day or Evening watch able to give proPer answers
to public, when asked question concerning the Mate Law or City Ordinances.
(5) All officers informed they are not to talk with lady working radio on
Day watch (order very much abused by said Chief.).
(6) During the course of the morning almost every day, one of the day watch
cars has to pall out of service at the office and work radio so that the
Chief and lady in office can have coffee, leaving one car and one man to
patrol the whole town. This usually takes from 15 to 20 minutes.
(7) Chief spends most of his time at the City Hall when he could be helping
at the Police Station.
(S) Failure to know how to manage and keep the office working as it should.
(9) No proper look outs posted on any look out given by county or other law
inforcement agency.
(10) If asking for registration and stolen report on Day or Evening Watch,
you are unable"to get proper answer. (Not the blame of inexperience operator,
but blamed on Chief for not being; able to teach operators the proper methods.)
(11) No one on Day or Evening Watch capable of handling prisoners in jail. If
prisoner need to :Make phone call one of ..the two cars and three day a week, the only
car in service has to pull out at the station and let the pris'bner make a call. Also
a car has to pull out of service to get prisoners their meals. A capable
man in the office at all times could eliminate this.
(12) The Chief and lady from City Hall spend from one to 14 hours almost
every day in the Chief2s Office with the door shut. (j�Te, the members of the
Department, are accusing no one of a wrong doing here, but it looks bad and
some men have been run off from this department by said Chief for doing; the
same thing.)
(13) When moving to new Police Station the bids for cigarette machine were
made and it was possible for the department to acquire a twenty-five cent
machine with all name brand cigarettes in it. The Chief turned this bid
down for some reason and had a thirty cent machine put in. This caused
some.. friction.
(14) Unable to get into locker where the weapons are stored. The Chief is
only man who has key. In case of emergency, no one could get to this equip -
went.
(15) The understanding the men of this department were given when the lady
was hired was that she was to work school crossing in the morning and evenings
This is not true. Both the police cars are out of service for appro,-dmately
30.minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening to work traffic at
schools. This leaves the town unprotected. The reasons for the -lady not
working the crossing are that its to cold.
II. Clothing—
(1) No member of this department has decent clothing to keep neat and groomed
as an officer should. (Ask each man about his clothing).
(2) Ask each man about the upkeep of the City Patrol Cary which have been
allowed to run with bad tires, no brakes, torn up transmission and rear end.
(3) No one in this department has ever been issued any foul weather gear. No
rain coats and etc.
III. General Conditions:
Complaint of the entire department of the Chief continuously lying to one
about something that another man
man/is supposed to have said. This keeps the men of this department very
much upset and cuts down the efficient manner in which it should be operated.
We also feel that the Chief is not capable of deciding on issues which arrive
in the department. just recently the Chief hired a man who had never policed
before for a job as radio opExator. Being made at an experienced officer, the
Chief put the experienced main on radio and let the new man out on the street.
-2-
We feel that things of this nature,done for spite and from not knowing his job,
is hurting the whole department.
Another spite case involved a Sgt. being busted back to Private for asking
to be moved to another watch.
Also the severe chewing out of two officers for speaking to a City Councilman.
4 They, as the entire department, were informed by the Chief that they were not
to speak or associate with any of the city officials.
Each man in this department has been accused by said Chief of politicing
for - his job.
No instructions on any of the department's policies ever given to anyone by
Chief.
During the past twelve months, 14 men have left the police department. This
is new to the largest turnover in City Government. Only the construction
departments is higher and most of their help is colored. This is due largely
to the fact that friction in -the department,kept going by the Chief,and by
him not being qualified for his job,is the main reason for this turnover.
The Chief recently made a statement to an officer that he was going to fire
the entire department and hire a new one. That Pie did not have one man quali-
fied for a job as a policeman.
The Chief also has told the men not to be talking with the merchants and
politicians. That it looked bad.
To go further and show that he is not qualified for the job:
A man given time on the city streets by the municipal judge; who stated that
the man was to be confined in city jail, was released to go home for the
night and never came back. No disposition of this case has ever been made.
A woman who lived in another county was caught shoplifting in Smyrna. The
Chief gave this woman a copy of charges and let her go home. The lady later
posted a cash bond for this offense in the amount of $27.00. She was never
placed in jail.
Five juvenile boys were caught for house burglary and confussed the crime.
The lady whose home had been broken into stated she thought the bogs should
be punished. The Chief s-4ted that the boys were neighbors of his and he
thought that the parents could handle the matter.
All cases of this nature we believe should be handled by the proper authority.
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We, the men of this department, believe that the above stated grievances
will show that the present Chief does not have the experience or no -how
to operate a Police Department in a City growing as fast as Smyrna, Georgia.
We feel that an experienced trained man could make our department into the
finest in this State with a little work.
We, the members of this department, do respectfully request that due to
the fact that the Chief is not qualified for the Chief of a police job, and he
has lost the respect of the men and is unable to manage the department properly;
that the Chief does not have the experience and know-how to operate said depart-
ment. We feel that a change in the department head would remedy this and that
the police department would again take its place as a functionirg department in
the city government.
Unless some arrangement can be made to remedy this mismanagement of the
department and the mistreatment of the men, we, the following, do hereby tender
our resignation.
H.T.
Smith
Eugene
Hall
Sgt.
Clifford Brown
C.M.
Kennedy
Sgt.
William E. Burgess
A.B.
`' WcD�u TT
R.M.
Clark
Sgt.
Herbert Brown
Ora
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