Alderwoman Irene Holcomb is counting on a “nice public turnout” at Monday’s 4 p.m. Pine Bluff City Council Public Safety Committee meeting.
At a Thursday town hall meeting hosted by Holcomb and Alderman Steven Mays, calls were made for the re-establishment of the city’s Civil Service Commission. The comments from Holcomb, Mays and audience members followed recent controversies within the police department with the firing and reinstatement of Assistant Chief Ivan Whitfield.
Mays and Alderwoman Thelma Walker have authored proposed legislation in response to the matter. Mays is wanting the civil service commission to be re-established while Walker is recommending that a review committee be formulated to assess firings, suspensions and demotions of firefighters and/or police officers.
May said Thursday that he believes that Civil Service commissioners should be college graduates, preferably with criminal justice degrees. He also thinks the appointees would be better-suited if they had fire or police department experience.
Some audience members disagreed, saying that degrees can be “overrated.” One observer said excluding non-degree holders and persons without law enforcement or firefighting experience would be discriminatory and defeat what should be a targeted goal of a commission “representing a broad spectrum of the community.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“You don’t need a degree to be on a commission,” said Maxine Nelson.
Rev. Jesse Turner expressed opposition to the city’s proposed hiring of a consultant to advise on the police department’s administrative woes, but an unidentified observer countered that a consultant would be “a good hire” because “the city needs an objective voice.”
Holcomb said both proposals would be read “in their entirety” during Monday’s meeting. “We always want the public’s input, but it’s especially important in this situation,” she said. “It’s fine if we have different opinions. We need a public dialogue on this issue.”