By BECKY CRISSMAN
UNADILLA — Citizens turned out in large numbers to express their outrage and concern over police protection in the city at a called meeting of the Unadilla City Council Friday night.
After a great deal of discussion, council members finally voted in favor of a temporary solution. The Unadilla Police department will be disbanded for the next six months, with each officer receiving four weeks of severance pay.
The Dooly County Sheriff’s Department will take over law enforcement and protection duties during those months while the city makes an attempt to employ a new chief and hire more officers. The two officers previously with the department will have the opportunity to come back to their jobs, and both say that they will come back.
Councilman Dexter Whittaker was the only member of the council who voted against the motion.
“Something had to be done,” said Mayor Pro Tem Clint Shugart. “People want to be protected.”
Councilman Greg Speight said that he was glad that the people of Unadilla are finally going be protected. “It should not matter as long as they are protected. We are here to make decisions for the well being of this community, and I feel that, right now, the Sheriff’s Department is our best option.”
For weeks the council has been divided on the subject of disbanding the local police department and contracting with the Dooly County Sheriff’s Department to take over law enforcement duties for the city.
The city currently is without a police chief and has only two full-time officers on staff. Concerned citizens say they no longer feel safe within the community because the department is not adequately staffed to provide them with protection.
Their outrage, they say, stems from a recent rash of break-ins involving five local businesses. “I stayed in business for ten years in my hometown, and I come here and in two months I get robbed,” said Pam Taylor.
“I walked into my shop last Thursday to find it broken into. I feel so violated that I am now afraid to go into the store out of fear that they will decide to come back during the day if they can’t get in at night anymore.
“If something does not change I will definitely consider relocating, because my parents are not going to come down from North Carolina and have to bury their daughter.”
Another citizen, Gail Hooks, whose father has owned the local pharmacy for forty years was deeply upset by a recent break-in there. She was even more appalled, however, by the events that transpired in the hours after the break-in.
“At 4:15 a.m. my eighty year old father came up to the police station in search of help. He beat and beat and beat on the door in an attempt to gain the attention of the officer on duty.”
She stepped out of the door and demonstrated how loud her father had pounded on the door with no help in sight. “It hurts me that as long as my father has been in business here this is how he gets treated.”
Unadilla citizen Gary Daw questioned why the city has not been willing to bring the Sheriff’s department in, at least until another solution can be found.
“I am not saying we have to decide to contract with them permanently, but action has to be taken to protect the people of this community. The police department is insufficient at this time to do that. It is not their fault. One officer has even commented during these break-ins that he is not being paid enough to go after somebody and risk his life without any backup.
“Nobody would want to go into a potentially dangerous situation without proper backup, but that does not change the problem. The citizens of Unadilla need protection now.”
Daw, who stated that he had spoken with Sheriff Van Peavy, suggested that the Sheriff’s department be allowed to take over for the next six months. He said that would give the city a chance to hire a new chief, reconstruct the police department and get more manpower.
There were members attending, however, who despite the current situation still do not want the Sheriff’s department to provide coverage.
One of their concerns is that the sheriff will force all night clubs to close at midnight.
Councilman Dexter Whittaker said, “If you close the clubs down at midnight the young people won’t have anything to do, and I think that it will cause a rise in crime for the area. I also feel there will be harassment issues to deal with.
He also said that the crime rate went up when the staffing of the department went down. “Instead of paying all this money to the Sheriff’s Department, why don’t we give it to the police department?”
Officer Anthony Taylor commented, “In order for us to do our jobs effectively we need help. We cannot protect our citizens if we cannot protect ourselves, therefore we need backup.”
Councilman Tony Lester expressed concern about the cost.
Daw asked, “How can you put a price on human life? We certainly cannot let someone get killed just so somebody can buy alcohol past midnight. There are other places to go to get alcohol.
