Death of a Department

I have been trying to find the words to describe/ encompass how I'm feeling. Today, the mayor and board of alderpersons will put the final nail in the coffin of police protection for the City of Lumberton. It saddens me thatmmore people are not concerned about the ramifications of this decision to essentially leave Lumberton unprotected. It feels like the board is thrusting us into a movie; a cross between The Purge and Alien vs. Predator. Not only are they endangering the residents and local businesses but they're endangering the lives of the officers that are being forced to patrol alone for 12 hours. The saddest part of this decision is the fact that no one knows how this happened or they're just not willing to discuss this matter with concerned citizens. The meeting that was recessed will reconvene this afternoon but it seems more like a memorial service than a meeting.

I just don't understand how a mayor that prays for a city on Main Street every Saturday doesn't seem to be bothered by preying on a department that's essential for the safety of this city. What business would want to establish themselves in a city without adequant police protection? How can an alderman volunteer to help raise funds to help a city museum put an entire department on the back burner? How can an alderwoman at large see the need for a good pantry but downplay the need for a fully staffed police department? It don't make any sense. This is possibly the best group of officers to patrol the streets of Lumberton in a long time and now the board is ready to discard ofthem like yesterday's newspaper. These officers served valiantly and are very active within the community. I have seen officers playing basketball with the youth throughout the city. These officers have used their own money to pay for the expenses associated with Easter egg hunts and day in the park activities. We have officers that are making connections in the community; connections that could change the direction of a young person's life. I don't know anyone that like getting a ticket but that's a part of their job. Over the past week, officers have been reporting toawork knowing their was a chance they would not get paid but they believe in the oath they took to serve and to protect. If only our elected officials took their oath of office as seriously as many of our police officers. Today it saddens me that our board is looking at a budget instead of looking past the badges to see that their decision will affect families, safety and security of this city. I wish there was something I could do but I want every officer to know that their services are greatly appreciated.

Comments

  1. WATCH GOD WORK!!!

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  2. There's going to be a move in this city that will shock the people. I agree with you Donna Penton.

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  3. Thank you for the kind things you said about the Police Department and the support that you give us. We are here to serve and protect and as long as we are here that is what we will continue to do...

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  4. Correct me if I am wrong but without a police or fire department couldn't Lumberton lose their charter or town status or whatever it's called?

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  5. God is working he's letting this city see that everybody that says that they are children of God are really not. Deacon Preachers and First Ladies are on this board and they are ignorant the enemy is using them and they are looking stupid. There are things that God promises we would not be , ignorant , ashame are 2 ,and there are something God say we should not do, lie and deceive others are 2. Guess I'm just saying when people do these things,regardless of what you may have thought about them, don't ignore what they do. What they are doing doesn't line up with what they say (I'm concerned about the city or even better I LOVE LUMBERTON) this is what they say but I have yet to see it. We elected these people to move the city forward What Happened

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  6. How does the Lumberton PD compare to other city PD in our area? What are their budgets and how many officers and vehicles do they have? We pay much more per household for city services than neighboring cities and this suggests that we are supporting some city service not appropriate to our size and budget. Several years ago I found out that the Lumberton PD budget was almost $200,000 more that that of the Purvis PD. With a town the size of Purvis you would expect the opposite. I don't know what the difference is now but you can only spend money that you have. If you don't have it you have to do something. The size of our city departments should reflect the size of the town and the revenue. Maybe the PD needs to be smaller. I guarantee that one city clerk should be able to run that office, with maybe only a part-time assistant to only take money and answer the phone--not serve as a deputy clerk. The business decisions that have been made in City Hall since Katrina simply don't reflect reality.

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