The Fort Smith City Government is like a ship with no rudder and the last two decades provide the proof.
The Times Record today 6/3/17…”Directors may sway Commission on hiring decisions”. The City Government has succumbed to Political Correctness and legislative cowardice that reigns supreme, i.e. hiring out of city/state, particularly officer grade personnel.
New city Police Chief Nathanial Clark, he himself toting a load of racial baggage, immediately presented his disdain for existing policy and methods utilized by the FSPD.
5/18/17 in a public statement, Chief Clark opined in the Times Record “Police Chief wants more paramilitary command authority”. Indeed sobering. Paramilitary is defined as a combatant force equivalent to the military’s light infantry. Chief Clark’s statement of developing a paramilitary demands a detailed explanation.
5/22/17 the Chief, with the apparent blessings of the City Manager, Mayor, & City Directors, appeared before the Civil Service Commission and was turned down by that Commission for the aforementioned city employees to overturn the City’s police policy that “requires officers to begin as patrol officers before they can be promoted to higher positions”. The CSC further denied Chief Clark from recruiting from out of state (the real reason behind Clark’s request). The existing CSC & FSPD policy for hiring & promoting from within is sensible, fair, and effective. Publicly supporting Clark for the FSPD overthrow are City Manager Geffken and Directors Lau, Lorenz & Good.
Director Good emphasizing his diversity victimhood stated he “was thoroughly upset”, adding “bringing in women and minorities should not mean only allowing them to start from the bottom (as they should) and that applications need to be open to the best people”. Of course they should, that is the American way. Translation: what the Chief and Director Good are actually saying, there are no qualified minorities or women for positions in the greater Fort Smith metro area (150,000 citizens) and therefore they must go out of state to procure qualified police personnel, especially to create and enlarge the officer corps, which means Clark is demanding to hire out of city/state officers (Lts, Captains, & Majors) who will probably be minorities subservient to him personally; thereby isolating the FOP, the CSC, the City Manager & official Board from public scrutiny, oversight and sunshine. Chief Clark is implying our city and state do not have qualified police candidates which is a ruse.
NCO’s under Clark’s command & plan would have no chance of promotions or complaints.
Geffkens, Clark, Good, Lau, & Lorenz are not masking Clark’s approach for restructuring both in mission & personnel in the Fort Smith P.D., just the omission of what is to be THE END GAME… another dangerous dose of Affirmative Action, Quotas, & Set-Asides that potentially will divide?
The bungling City Manager, the Mayor & the official Board are in the process of creating a potential unneeded racial divide in our city. Draw the needed resources from our city & state based on merit and competition.
Joe McCutchen
arkansasfreedom.net