MOUNT VERNON – The Mount Vernon Police Department needs to fill three positions after two community advocate candidates turned down the job and two supervisors left the department.
Chief Robert Morgan told the City Council on Aug. 9 that he restarted the search for a qualified person to hire in the new community advocate position after the top two candidates both turned down the job over demanding hours and other issues.
Morgan had told the City Council two weeks earlier that a candidate for the position had been selected. That person, who helped Morgan define the position and its responsibilities, accepted the job on a Monday. But by that Thursday, she had turned the job down.
After learning the hours of the position were a problem, he said they came up with another plan.
The new hours would have the community advocate working 12-hour shifts just like police officers. Some flexibility was offered, allowing a noon-to-midnight or 10 a.m.-to-10 p.m. shift.
“The second candidate we interviewed, she thought about it and she also declined at this time because she'd been offered another job somewhere else where she could make her own hours, basically,” Morgan said.
He’s also looking to hire two officers to replace two supervisors, including Detective JT DeChant, who took a job as the deputy director for Knox County Emergency Management/Homeland Security.
Another officer has been in Afghanistan and is expected to return in late fall, he said.
If the number of officers on shift drops below the minimum, the patrol commander will fill in on shifts as necessary, but right now the shifts are full, he said.
The City Council is considering lateral transfers, a proposal to hire officers at other police departments. They’d keep their years of service for retirement and could be hired above a rookie position. But it would not give them seniority within the department.
The numbers of candidates applying for Civil Service testing and the police academy are down.
“Policing is not the job it was once. In the current climate, I can’t see that getting much better,” Morgan said.
Police calls on the rise
The Police Department handled 13,600 calls for service in the first seven months of the year. That puts Mount Vernon on track to have 21,000 to 22,000 calls for service for the year. That number is approximately 3,000 more than any other year, Morgan said.
Officers have taken 2,008 reports as of July 31. That includes approximately 270 accidents and 1,666 traffic stops.
Of those traffic stops, 94.9% of the motorists were white, 4.6% were Black and 2.5% were all other races. Of the motorists, 61.6% were male and 38.4% were female.
Misdemeanor arrests totaled 1,116 including traffic tickets. A total of 288 felony charges were filed and 182 of them were directly drug related.
Main Street Mount Vernon advancing DORA plans
Main Street Mount Vernon’s Anthony McNeal offered an update on the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) planned for a specific area of downtown Mount Vernon. Within that area, patrons over the age of 21 could purchase alcoholic beverages from properly licensed businesses within the designated boundaries during approved days, hours and/or events.
The full area that would be eligible as the DORA would not always be used. Event applicants may request only a portion of the entire area, which would be marked off with signs during the events, he said. Businesses participating in the DORA can display signs welcoming patrons. But those businesses not interested in allowing patrons to bring their drinks into their establishments also will be provided signs to notify downtown visitors.
Interest-free loan sought for wastewater facility
Council approved allowing the safety-service director to apply and enter into a zero interest loan through the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund for planning, design and construction of upgrades at the city’s wastewater facilities.
Auditor Terry Scott said the $233,333 anticipated annual debt payment for 30 years is not expected to begin until after the city retires other debt that is approximately the same amount in two years, which is the soonest he anticipates it will take to process this loan.
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