On the 243rd day of the Willis Administration, a new police chief is slated to be named in a crowning ceremony in the city council chambers at 10:00 a.m. this morning. City Hall will be abuzz with activity and perhaps even some much needed excited. The administration has been rather tight lipped about the selection, however, several sources say that the choice has been narrowed to three individuals:
Mr. Donnell Kirklin, Mr. Vincent Bell and Mr. Uless Wallace.
 |
One of five New/Used Police Cruisers
Acquired by Interim Chief Ray Price |
There are strong indications, however, that Mr. Uless Wallace will be named the new and permanent chief of the Helena West Helena Police Department. First, he and several other individuals have reportedly put in their notices with the Marvell Police Department, their current place of employment. Secondly, Mayor Willis has asked for no additional money to pay the chief or to pay for travel or moving expenses. Those matters tend to indicate that the person is already local in relative terms. Finally, some council members have been complaining that the person of their choice was not being selected.
There has been some extensive lobbying by council members for the installation of Vincent Bell as the new chief. There has also been significant push back against former Chief Vincent Bell. Bell served as the Chief in Helena-West Helena under the following mayors: Riley Porter, Johnny Weaver and James F. Valley. Bell also served as police chief under Marianna Mayor Robert Taylor until he retired at the end of 2010. For a short stint, Bell served as the police chief under Marianna's current Mayor Williams. The push back is reported to have come from the "business community" in Helena-West Helena with a local banker/landlord and hardware store owner/landlord leading that charge.
No comments:
Post a Comment