Selmon seeks $25,000 for sheriff to patrol inside city|[2/8/05]

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 8, 2005

A resolution to provide county aid to the Vicksburg Police Department by District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon fell flat among his colleagues Monday and drew immediate reactions from the sheriff, police chief and mayor.

Selmon, 44, who has announced his candidacy for mayor, said the municipal force is woefully understaffed and suggested a $25,000 supplement to the $1.1 million Warren County Sheriff’s Department patrol budget.

In a press release, Selmon said the money would allow Sheriff Martin Pace to assign deputies “to assist their fellow police officers in their time of need, and above all make sure there are enough law-enforcement officers on patrol to ensure the safety of the citizens of Warren County.”

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Selmon’s motion died for lack of a second, Pace said he had not been aware of the proposal until just before the meeting began and Police Chief Tommy Moffett and Mayor Laurence Leyens called the motion and the accompanying press release a stunt.

“Mr. Selmon has been provided with some false information or is simply making it up,” Moffett said.

The two-page press release, headlined Vicksburg Police Department In Crisis” said police understaffing is worst at night, when “most arson and burglaries occur.” Selmon said he knew of several occasions when only four patrolmen were on duty to cover the city’s six beats.

Moffett said that’s not true, and records are available to certify staffing levels.

Mayor Laurence Leyens responded that independent records also show a decrease in crime rates as opposed to the increase Selmon indicated.

“This is completely politically motivated,” said Leyens, 40, who has said he will seek re-election. “It is incredibly destructive for the community and has no merit whatsoever.”

Selmon proposed that the $25,000 come from the county’s share of gaming revenue. It would boost the county patrol budget by about 2 cents for every dollar already allocated.

Supervisors agreed to meet Thursday with Pace, but District 5 Supervisor Richard George chastised Selmon for the resolution, saying the sheriff “should be afforded the opportunity to review in advance” such a proposal.

Selmon’s press release continued that “there just aren’t enough police officers to effectively patrol a city the size of Vicksburg and most of the Vicksburg Police Department veterans are gone.”

After the meeting, Selmon said that about twice a week he hears from constituents “regarding some service rendered by the Vicksburg Police Department.” The citizens said their voices were not being heard by city officials, he added.

The number of sworn city officers is down about 25 percent from previous city administrations. Moffett, chief since October 2001, has said he has about 10 openings, but that previous staffing levels were too high, especially in light of the fact most were ranking officers who were not on patrol. Thirteen police officers and a county deputy responded to a disturbance at Pemberton Square’s parking lot at midnight Saturday.

The sheriff is elected and his department has jurisdiction countywide although patrols by 17 uniformed deputies are usually in non-incorporated areas. The total budget for this year is $2.4 million, including $1.3 million for jail staffing and operations.

The police department has 75 officers and its budget is $5.7 million.

Although Selmon, whose district is entirely inside Vicksburg, has said he plans to seek the Democratic nomination for mayor, he has not filed qualifying papers. Leyens, 40, who has said he will seek a second term as an independent, has not formally filed either. The deadline is March 4.

Party primaries for this year’s city elections are May 3 with the general election to follow on June 7.

In other matters, the board: