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June 27, 2008

Then there were none

All 3 Log Cabin police officers resign, leaving no force

By Rich Flowers News Editor

The City of Log Cabin has not discharged its police department. It’s just reloading.

Mayor Pro-Tem Weldon Wallace said earlier this week the department is currently inactive because of the resignations of Police Chief Chris Smoot and the two officers under his command. The resignations, tendered about June 5, became effective June 19.

Log Cabin is interviewing from a list of about 12 applicants for the police chief position. Wallace said he was hopeful the city could reach a decision by the end of the week.

“After that, if the person we pick is working somewhere else they’ll probably want to give notice, so we’re probably at least two weeks away from having a new chief,” Wallace said.

Wallace said the departure of the former police staff was amicable.

“Chief Smoot said he resigned to go back to a town where he had lived before he came to Log Cabin,” Wallace said. “One officer lived in the Tyler area and was working for about $11 an hour. He was basically just working because he knew Chris.”

Wallace said he does not know why the third officer quit but thought it was probably for similar reasons.

“The chief in a small town usually hires people that he knows and trusts and are loyal to him,” Wallace said. “That’s an advantage in that he knows something about it (law enforcement) and we on the city council don’t.”

Wallace said although Smoot did not mention money as a reason for his departure, he believed the chief had hoped to make more money than the city was willing to pay.

“It’s public record that the council did some work on a potential contract not only for the police department but for the maintenance workers. The council drew up a proposed contract, but the item kind of died,” Wallace said. “That was sometime in the past three to six months.”

The Caney City Police Department and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department are taking up some of the slack during the time it takes to fill the position, Wallace said.

“Caney City has been very helpful. The chief, Ken Holder, came over and talked with me and said they would answer emergency calls,” Wallace said. “The Caney officers have been making three or four passes through the city each shift to create a presence here.”

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