Mooresville police commission recognize officers, discuss staffing

MOORESVILLE

At Thursday’s Mooresville Police Commission meeting, members welcomed a new commissioner and heard a request for more dispatchers, in addition to other business.

The commission welcomed Ernie Wilson as a new commissioner at the meeting. Commissioner Danny Lundy thanked him for being there.

“Speaking as a commissioner, I look forward to having your experience and input,” Lundy said.

Acting Chief Lt. Kevin Julian discussed staffing updates, including the search for a new chief and a departing officer. Candidates for the chief position are required to submit their resume and other materials by Oct. 7.

Julian also relayed the approval they received from the town council on Tuesday for the purchase of four cars and, according to him, the likelihood of a fifth somewhere down the line. He said they can start the purchase order for the four.

He also led them through the July and August statistics in addition to reminding the commissioners of the stabbing, fatality fire and Mann Road death investigation that all occurred this month. The July and August statistics are as follows.

• July: 247 incident reports, 65 arrests, 69 citations, 315 warning, 2,062 CAD calls, 28 accident reports, 2 hit and runs, 0 fatalities.

• August: 254 incident reports, 52 arrests, 90 citations, 323 warnings, 1,760 CAD calls, 34 accident reports, 0 hit and runs, 0 fatalities.

Julian then handed the floor to Amanda Carnell, the police department’s records clerk, who made a plea with the board to bring on more part-time dispatchers to work during peak calling hours.

“I would personally like to see four more full-time people, two for every shift,” she said.

However, she said she knew this would be out of their budget, which is why she is at least seeking a couple part-time employees for the busy times, which are from 2:30 to 7 p.m.

Lundy said they will have to look at their budget and make sure it is possible. Commissioner Wilson agreed with Carnell reinforcing the importance of the position.

“That’s where it all starts,” Ernie Wilson said. “If you don’t have that covered, you don’t have anything covered.”

Lundy said they can start vetting candidates and look at the budget before next month’s meeting.

Julian led the commission in a discussion on public information, particularly in the department’s efforts to formalize news releases for incidents.

“This is just something we’d like to institute to get that information out there,” He said.

He said this is in the beginning stages but that he hopes it can alleviate questions and confusion on behalf of the public when situations arise.

At the end of the meeting they recognized two officers for their time on the force. They thanked officer Brian Anderson for 23 years and Lt. Randy Rogers for 20.

Their next meeting will be on Oct. 17.

~ By Anthony Woodside | Reporter | Published September 20, 2019 in The Mooresville Times