Police officers, staff speak to community

Published 11:42 am Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Following is a copy of a letter distributed on Friday, Aug. 21

 

To the Citizens of Mocksville, Town Board, Town Mayor, and Town Manager and Friends Around the World,

We are exhausted by the emotional warfare and political corruption created by the elected officials and others associated with them in the Town of Mocksville and Davie County. We have survived the crisis of Sarge Butters that exploded over  a year ago because due to elected officials and also the crisis of the previous leadership. We finally have a chief in place, who has not allowed a corrupt few prevent him from doing his job effectively and fairly. Previous chiefs were involved with political relationships and sharing favors that should NEVER have been allowed to happen. Unfortunately, that is what several of these local politicians want. They want to be in control of our law enforcement agency and its members by doing what is right for them, but not for the staff or the citizens. The assessment completed by Developmental Associates of our police department should have been ordered when Todd Penley was chief. Todd Penley set this agency onto a course of total chaos. He promoted two majors, an assistant chief, 3 captains, a lieutenant, a k9 officer in a 20 person department and only one of those positions had to go through a promotional process. Todd Penley called officers while on and off duty trying to create animosity and division in the department and never cared about the relationships that mattered to the officers and the citizens. It wasn’t until Pat Reagan started running this agency that things finally started turning around. Better equipment, more training, better recruiting AND recruiting diversity, community engagemment, accountability, fair and impartial hiring and promotional processes, and above all making this an agency that the citizens felt they had a voice with.

There are a few loud voices that belong to those who have been corrupted by the “Good Old Boys” system. This group is represented by politicians, former officers who left because they simply wouldn’t follow the rules and were finally being held accountable, officers who were fired and their friends and spouses of these officers. If we could create a spreadsheet of connections showing this “Good Ole Boys” network for the public they would be shocked. Politicians and these former officers are using their position not to improve the town or department, but for monetary gain or public recognition. We are disgusted by it. Leave us alone and let Chief Reagan and his staff do their job!

One town board member was very public with her comments supporting former Officer Hill and his lawsuit. We ask this board member: Have you asked the current officers about what is was like to work with Brian Hill or will you continue to get your information from a fake social media account?

This group of former officers and their associates are using the corrupt politicians in the town of Mocksville and in Davie County to enhance their exploitation of current officers and staff. They’ve created several fake social media pages and group accounts spreading lies about us. These pages are followed by town board members, county commissioners, former officers, and their friends. We are begging the citizens to stand up for your town and your police department. These people refuse to listen to us because they have been so corrupt for so long. They don’t want change, they want things to stay status quo and want to be able to dictate every decision no matter how corrupt or outlandish. Go to our town and county board meetings. Fight for us and our Chief of Police. Since Chief Reagan took office crime rates are down, we have tons of community programs and will continue to have more, we’ve even had unity rallies. Who here that is a life time resident would have ever dreamed of officers and citizens standing side by side and supporting one another? If Chief Reagan leaves this agency or is fired the corruption will flood us again, and we won’t survive this time. They will put people in positions at the police department that only care abut political agendas and doing favors for one another, not the current officers or their families and certainly not for the people who live here and need us the most. We have town board members making comments at the public town board meetings who absolutely have no idea what the facts are. They’re throwing hate at our department and officers based on rumors and half-truth. If Chief Reagan leaves this agency or is fired the citizens can expect a mass exit of all the good officers that want nothing more than to do their jobs and to be trained properly to do so. If you appreciate and recognize the change for the better at the Mocksville Police Department then please stand up for us and speak out! We need your help! No one will hear us without the support of the community. Don’t let the corruption take over again. Remember, this is a very important election year, but not just at the executive levels, remember that you hold the key with your votes as to what will happen to the future of your community and to your Mocksville Police Department. We can only fix this if we fix it together.

Sincerely,

The Mocksville Police Department Staff and Officers Who Want To Make A Difference

The letter was signed by: Senior Officer Chad Trivitte, Capt. Robin Robbins, Officer Tonney Neouv, Officer Casey Beck, Sgt. Brian Nichols, Major Koula Black, Senior Officer Nelson Rhodes, Officer Shaun Greene, Officer Timothy Hubbard, Detective-Sgt. Matt Leonard, Detective Logan Fox, Detective Cameron Jones, Officer James Taylor, DCI/Records Christy Jones and Evidence Technician Ashley Lambeth.