Being professional: MPD praised for dedication at open meeting
By John Gullion, Tribune Managing Editor
With several members of the Morristown Police Department on hand – decked
out in the dress uniforms and filling nearly half of the City Council Chambers –
three members of an accreditation team listened to public feedback Monday night.
A line of law enforcement professionals from other agencies professed their
admiration for the department and urged the three-member panel to grant the
MPD accreditation from the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies, a premier status among police departments.
With few exceptions, local officials, business people and clergy also offered their
unreserved praise for the department and its chief, Roger Overholt.
"I think we’re fortunate in the city of Morristown that we do have an exemplary police
department and I think that’s because of the quality of the men and women that work
here and their dedication, not only to law enforcement but to this community," Overholt
said.
Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults was the first to speak offering praise for the MPD’s
willingness to come to the aid of area agencies. He praised the qualities of the MPD’s
officers, including Overholt and Detective Sgt. Al Herrera.
"When I was working undercover buying dope, Al Herrera was my lifeline, I know that,"
Shults said.
Shults set the tone for the night. Law enforcement representatives echoed his praise of
the MPD. Those on hand included representatives from: Bristol, Kingsport, the TBI, the
FBI and Walters State Community College police. The theme for the evening was the
MPD’s professionalism.
"It makes me proud, not just of my officers, but the city of Morristown," Overholt said.
"I think what it says, is the team effort that’s going on with this city. The team effort that’s
going on with the other public service agencies, the government body of this city and
with the communities because really to effectively combat crime in any community you
have to have the citizens working with the agency."
Monday night’s meeting was one of the final steps in the accreditation process that is
scheduled to wrap up Wednesday afternoon. By the time the evaluators finish, the department
will have been completely checked out.
"It’s very intense. These gentlemen, not only do they look at our policies and procedures, but
they look at compliance files to ensure that over the last three years we have followed those
policies and procedures in a way which we provided the best professional police services
possible to our agency," Overholt said.
In addition to law enforcement experts, local leaders were on hand as well. The majority of
the city council and city administrator Jim Crumley was on hand as well as Joe Swann from
the Hamblen County Commission. Scott Walker from the county schools also offered his praise
for the MPD, focusing on the SRO and D.A.R.E. programs.
Mayor Sami Barile expressed her pride in the department, as did her husband Peter, a former
member of the Civil Service Board.
Peter Barile said it is the quality of the officers that makes the MPD standout.
"You can have the best technology, the best equipment in the world, if you don’t have the
best people behind it, it’s nothing," he said. "You don’t make good departments by equipment,
you make good departments by people."
City Councilmember Mel Tucker, a former FBI agent and a former chief of multiple police
departments offered his expert opinion to the panel.
"It is my opinion that the leadership of the Morristown Police Department is competent. It’s
knowledgeable. It’s open. It’s effective. And its officers are among the best to be found in
this nation," Tucker said.
Still, there were some negatives offered. An owner of rental property that got raided took issue
with the amount of damage done to the property and the lack of restitution. Another took issue
with what he called an "interrogation" of his 10-year-old son after the man’s arrest. He also took
issue with his subsequent treatment at the jail.
"We arrest over 7,000 people a year. It’s extremely hard to arrest people and have 7,000 people
pleased with you for affecting those arrests," Overholt said. "We heard a couple complaints
tonight, people said the police department had done things that they felt like were not appropriate.
Each of those complaints actually involved another agency, didn’t involve officers of the Morristown
Police Department."
At the end of the day, Overholt said any department is going to make mistakes, but the MPD will
always do what it can to make those mistakes right.
"These men and women are true professionals. Do we make mistakes sometimes? Sure, 60,000
calls a year, there’s a lot of chance for error but they’re very minimal and when they do happen we do
what is appropriate and right," he said.
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