Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is going on at MPD?

Why are Mooresville taxpayers still paying two police-chief salaries?

We’re already on the hook for the $225,000 bill to US ISS Agency for its broad investigation into the Mooresville Police Department working environment. Results of that seven-month probe were turned over to the town a month ago.

Chief Damon Williams was placed on paid administrative leave in June, four months into the investigation. Since July, he has been “volunteering” as police chief in Taylortown, two hours east of here, where he was chief from 2005-10.

But is it really “volunteering” if he’s collecting a paycheck? While Taylortown may not be paying him, Mooresville taxpayers are. In fact, including benefits, we are contributing more than $400 a day to provide Taylortown a police chief. Meanwhile, we’re also paying an interim chief to come in and clean up the mess Williams left behind.

-Two of three top-cops in Williams’ inner circle – one of whom Williams, himself, promoted – were recently demoted, reportedly as a result of the ISS probe. Not just any fall from grace, both men took significant pay-cuts and will find themselves back in patrol cars next week.

-Williams hired a sergeant from Rocky Mount, NC, bringing him to Mooresville as a captain rather than promoting from within. That guy didn’t last long. The ISS investigation reportedly turned-up issues in his background check, indicating that either Williams didn’t complete a background check on his hire – or he ignored the results of it.

-The family of slain K9 Officer Jordan Sheldon is weighing in publicly now about issues and concerns that Jordan often raised while serving under Williams and his command staff. Citing a reported lack of reliable backup on calls, inconsistent policy practices and missing/malfunctioning equipment meant to protect officers, Jordan expressed repeated concerns about his safety while on duty, the family says. It’s worth noting that Williams had promoted to sergeant the logistics officer responsible for securing officers’ equipment and repairs.

-MPD’s captain over internal affairs is currently under an internal-affairs investigation, himself, though the reason is unclear. Williams hired that man, a retired SC Trooper, to fill a vacant captain’s position rather than promoting from within.

-The town has reportedly provided at least two other officers – one of whom Williams hired – with termination notices as a result of the ISS investigation. It is unclear if they were given the notorious “Mooresville Option Plan”: resign or be fired.

People with varying opinions and personal preferences can bicker all day long about who we feel is right and wrong, but facts are facts, and they speak for themselves. The interim chief has been well-accepted by the vast majority of the police department, but his contract runs out next month. The town can’t hire him – or anyone else as chief – without making a decision on Williams.

It’s beyond time to make that decision. The police department and this community have been through enough, for long enough. Taxpayers deserve answers – we’ve certainly paid for them – and we shouldn’t have to continue paying for the town’s mistakes and foot-dragging.

Enough is enough.

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9 thoughts on “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is going on at MPD?

  1. That’s what happens when you have weak town management. Stop being scared because the man is black and the stupid NAACP stuck their noses where it don’t belong. Williams should not have been hired from the beginning. He didn’t have the knowledge or experience to be a chief of police. John Crone got fired pretty damm quick to make room for deadbeat Carl Robbins. I sure hope they learned their lesson and keep this new chief because he sure as hell seems to know what he is doing. But we will see because the way history repeats itself every new town manager has a buddy that wants to be chief of police. Let see if this town manager is smart enough to keep this new chief.

    1. Everyone who has lived in Mooresville knows MPD has ALWAYS been racist against non-whites! It was only a few years ago that they hired the first black officer. Chief Williams tried to make a diverse force and the Good Ole boys in the department didn’t allow that because he called out their corruption and the Mooresville scoop is another puppet for the corrupt department.

      1. Rose, it would appear you do not know your MPD history. Regardless of what nasty fake news rumors you hear, hearsay is not fact. Apparently Williams was not successful making his “boy’s club” and got called out for it. In fact, it seems he was a bit racist. You see racism is not just a stone you pick up and throw at the white man when things don’t go your way. It is way past time for some to face facts and realize the racism is coming from the very ones crying foul and accusing others!

      2. I’m not white and been living in mooresville for 22yrs and never had an issue. People that are racist are usually the ones complaining about other people being racist and not getting their way or handouts . Mooresville has had quite a few black and Hispanic officers In the past . You need to educate yourself before you make false claims . The fact is that Damon Williams was a horrible choice for a chief of police and if anyone was corrupt it was him

  2. Apparently you don’t remember the two black officers in Mooresville in the late sixties.
    Mr. Tommy Cross and Mr Richard Hall.

  3. This is no surprise. The town publicly rebuked and embarrassed their police chief. How could they bring him back? And how is an interim police chief from the far northeast with marching orders on who ferret out by the city is the answer? The department is in a crisis they didn’t have to be in. Poor MPD employees. Policing is tough enough.

    1. No Baker. The department was in crisis with Willians in place. This new chief is cleaning up the mess Williams and his predecessor created. Seriously you need to know what has happen before you open your mouth.

  4. Damon should have never been hired, but Erskine had other agendas by hiring him and quickly after retiring. He was not qualified to be a chief much less a police officer. Damon is the biggest racist ever seen. He got joy and pride by doing his best to intimidate and belittle all employees. He frequently referred to himself as “Big Sexy” and wanted to be photographed and in the limelight constantly. Comments made were that MPD was full of uptight white middle class men. Threats made that if employees did not participate in his PAL program, they would not get promoted or receive raises. Sound like a great police chief to you? Think not! His reactions and comments after Jordan Sheldon was murdered was unbelievable and digusting. He made comments to Jordan’s family after his burial when back at the police department “Look at all this food, have you ever seen this much food?” Why would a police chief make a comment like that? Because Jordan was white and he did not care. Those that stand up for him, well, sorry you just do not know the truth. Sickening that he was allowed to resign when in fact he should have been fired long ago. Hiring outside instead of within, knowing some had dirty backgrounds but hired them anyway. That shows his true self, only trying to find ones that would bow down and follow him. He and Angel Lanier-Wright were both under the gun for their excessive spending, so she resigned quickly after knowing that both of them had been caught not only misuse of taxpayer funds but as to their pact to make sure more black people were hired in the whole town. People should be hired because they are qualified not because of their race. Captain Call was put on administrative leave due to asking questions about why Jordan did not have any backup. MPD decided that his questions were hostile, sadly not true, he wanted answers. Only thing the town has done right is demote two, they need to finish cleaning house since everyone knows of the corruption that Damon put in place. House needs to be cleaned at Town Hall, mayor and board.

  5. I’m pretty dumbfounded by the comments claiming Williams is only being harassed because he’s black, and that the entire MPD is racist. You folks do realize an officer was SHOT and KILLED on duty, because of a multitude of problems that Chief Williams created through his bad decisions and poor leadership skills. He repeatedly hired unqualified officers from outside the force rather than promoting from within, and then he overlooked major issues with his new hires. Namely, their unsatisfactory background checks and inability to complete basic training in the amount of time allotted. From what I understand, 11 out of 13 new hires that Williams made were black. So it would seem he was going above and beyond to hire mostly black officers who were from outside the force and vastly unqualified, rather than promoting the qualified white officers from inside the force.

    ….remind me who exactly is the racist again???

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About Author

Hi! I’m Jaime

I was a newspaper reporter in Mooresville, NC for a decade and covered local government issues from 2003 to 2006.

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