mrsat_98
03-03-2013, 10:24 AM
http://www.kmsstv.com/news/fbi-investigates-homer-police-department
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20130302/NEWS01/130301039/
[www.shreveporttimes.com]
5 0 2 , 3 6 4 , 1 6 3
output
edit
help
1.09 estimated printed pages | use the edit tools to save paper and ink!
Homer Police Department searched by FBI
Written by Vickie Welborn
Mar. 02
shreveporttimes.com
HOMER – The tables were turned on Homer police Friday when they became the targets of an investigation.
FBI agents showed up unannounced to execute a search warrant. Spokeswoman Mary Beth Romig, of the New Orleans field office, confirmed an investigation of the police force.
Romig said she could not provide details of the nature of the probe. The FBI has a policy of not talking about ongoing investigations.
Officers reportedly were contacted and told to turn over their tasers.
Mayor Alecia Smith said she learned about the FBI’s presence at the police station after receiving telephone calls. But she’s not had contact with the FBI about its focus.
“I didn’t go over there,” Smith said. “I look forward to hearing from them if need be.”
The investigation comes at a time when the fate of the town’s Police Department is in question. However, it’s unlikely a recent vote of the town’s Board of Selectmen to abolish the department is connected. FBI investigations typically are drawn out over an extended period of time.
The board voted unanimously on Feb. 11 to do away with the police force and reclassify Police Chief Russell Mills to the role of marshal. Budget overruns, leadership concerns and pending lawsuits were cited as reasons a two-person committee of selectmen recommended it to the five-member board.
The change, which would have put law enforcement of the town into the hands of the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office, initially was scheduled to take place Friday. However, District Judge Jenifer Clason put the brakes on it when she granted a temporary restraining order sought by Mills, who alleges the selectmen’s vote was illegal because of a violation of the state’s open meetings law.
The issue was not listed as an action item on the agenda so the public did not have advance notice. Instead, the recommendation came from a committee report.
Clason originally set a Feb. 25 hearing on the matter but then recused herself. District Judge Jimmy Teat will make a decision on a permanent injunction at 9:30 a.m. Monday.
This is not the first time the Homer Police Department has been on the hot seat. The town was in turmoil in 2009 when two officers shot and killed Homer resident Bernard Monroe, sparking marches, protests, community meetings and an inquiry by the U.S. Department of Justice. A grand jury declined to indict the officers.
During the same time, the American Civil Liberties Union accused the Police Department of racial profiling. Citizens and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also complained of harassment and poorly trained officers.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20130302/NEWS01/130301039/
[www.shreveporttimes.com]
5 0 2 , 3 6 4 , 1 6 3
output
edit
help
1.09 estimated printed pages | use the edit tools to save paper and ink!
Homer Police Department searched by FBI
Written by Vickie Welborn
Mar. 02
shreveporttimes.com
HOMER – The tables were turned on Homer police Friday when they became the targets of an investigation.
FBI agents showed up unannounced to execute a search warrant. Spokeswoman Mary Beth Romig, of the New Orleans field office, confirmed an investigation of the police force.
Romig said she could not provide details of the nature of the probe. The FBI has a policy of not talking about ongoing investigations.
Officers reportedly were contacted and told to turn over their tasers.
Mayor Alecia Smith said she learned about the FBI’s presence at the police station after receiving telephone calls. But she’s not had contact with the FBI about its focus.
“I didn’t go over there,” Smith said. “I look forward to hearing from them if need be.”
The investigation comes at a time when the fate of the town’s Police Department is in question. However, it’s unlikely a recent vote of the town’s Board of Selectmen to abolish the department is connected. FBI investigations typically are drawn out over an extended period of time.
The board voted unanimously on Feb. 11 to do away with the police force and reclassify Police Chief Russell Mills to the role of marshal. Budget overruns, leadership concerns and pending lawsuits were cited as reasons a two-person committee of selectmen recommended it to the five-member board.
The change, which would have put law enforcement of the town into the hands of the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office, initially was scheduled to take place Friday. However, District Judge Jenifer Clason put the brakes on it when she granted a temporary restraining order sought by Mills, who alleges the selectmen’s vote was illegal because of a violation of the state’s open meetings law.
The issue was not listed as an action item on the agenda so the public did not have advance notice. Instead, the recommendation came from a committee report.
Clason originally set a Feb. 25 hearing on the matter but then recused herself. District Judge Jimmy Teat will make a decision on a permanent injunction at 9:30 a.m. Monday.
This is not the first time the Homer Police Department has been on the hot seat. The town was in turmoil in 2009 when two officers shot and killed Homer resident Bernard Monroe, sparking marches, protests, community meetings and an inquiry by the U.S. Department of Justice. A grand jury declined to indict the officers.
During the same time, the American Civil Liberties Union accused the Police Department of racial profiling. Citizens and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also complained of harassment and poorly trained officers.