Lumberton Police Department Loses It's Certification

There has been a lot of political wrangling to make sure that Darren Dennis Hobson is in control of the Lumberton Police Department. The aldermen are so focused on making sure they have control over the police department that they forget that the Lumberton Police Department lost it's certification at midnight on June 30, 2011. Certified officers are required to continue training to keep their certification, but the board has refused, for the last two years, to pay to have the officers of the Lumberton Police Department certified. Captain Franklin and Officer C. Fortenberry used their own resources (time and money) to keep the certification current, but the board voted 2-1 last night to terminate their employment. Chief Fortenberry still has his certification, but the board is planning on terminating his employment at Tueday's board meeting; Bobby Gibson has already asked him to turn over the Tahoe. Now, new officers and officers that work with other law enforcement agencies may still have their certification, but I don't have a list of those officers.

Some of you may wonder what does it mean when a police department loses it's certification. Well, it means that police officers can't lawfully ticket or arrest you because they are not certified to work as a police officer. Please note that this is not a license to break the law, but if anyone is arrested while the officers are without certification can challenge any arrest or ticket issued by the arresting officer. (Too bad Rachel didn't wait until today to check on the status of her child support payments.) If you are arrested by a Lumberton Police Officer, challenge their certification and have them to present their paperwork that they are certified and if they are not able to produce the paperwork, the judge will have to dismiss the case against you. It's sad that we're about to have the first major holiday of the summer and the City of Lumberton has a police department that is no longer certified. It was said that Gibson, Crider, Hale and Johnson said that while Mayor Holder was out on medical leave, they were going to show the citizens of Lumberton how a city is supposed to be run. If the loss of police certification is any indication of their skills. . we are in serious trouble.

It's truly sad to see all of the bickering and destruction that is taking place in our city. I have always pointed the fingers at the politicians, but this mess with the police department could have been avoided. When Chief Fortenberry gave his letter of resignation to the board almost two months in advance, he gave Gibson, Crider and Hale all the ammunition they needed to gain control over the police department. I am truly disappointed that he was not there for his department and he's basically left the city vulnerable with a group of vultures in charge. Chief is a law enforcement officer and he should be aware of the law. He had people advising him on what to do based on state law, and he had people that were praying for his success, but he has allowed a group of stiff-necked, uncircumcised heathens (Gibson, Crider and Hale) to come in and take over his department. Whenever I speak of things happening at city hall, the first thing people like to say is that I'm a racist, but I find it odd that whenever Mayor Holder made a recommendation to terminate someone, it was never done; whenever Chief Fortenberry made a recommendation to terminate someone, it was never done; but as soon as Stephanie Mullings and Dennis Hobson make a recommendation to terminate anyone, their wishes are granted. I can't emphasize how disappointed I am with the actions that took place last night. If Chief Fortenberry is not going to fight for his position, at least he should fight for the officers he brought into this mess. WTBS. . please be safe over the 4th of July weekend.