Keys joins Scott City police force

Earlier this summer Martin Keys was at the helm of the Chaffee Police Department -- now he's patrolling the streets of nearby Scott City.

The Scott City Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the city's police board at its Aug. 20 meeting and hire Keys as a patrolman at a rate of $10.58 per hour plus benefits. The police board unanimously recommended the council hire Keys after he scored among the top of all applicants on the city's written exam and based on his answers to interview questions with police board members, said police board president David Crader.

In Scott City it's common practice for the city council to accept the recommendations of the police board with little or no questioning of the board's decisions.

The police board gave its unanimous recommendation Aug. 13, less than one month after Keys' resignation from Chaffee.

Keys had served as police chief in Chaffee since August 2006, when he was tapped to replace former chief Jeff Womack, who died while holding office. Keys' time as chief was marked by controversy and high turnover among police department employees.

Crader said Keys was one of the most qualified candidates the board reviewed to fill two police officer positions. Keys was open about what happened in Chaffee, telling the board he was reluctant to take the position due to his relatively short amount of time spent in police work, about five years, Crader said.

However, Crader said that's plenty of experience to make Keys a valuable asset as a patrolman who will have much more experience than someone fresh from the academy.

"You're just getting your feet wet to be a good road officer, not be a chief," Crader said of Keys' experience level.

Police chief Don Cobb said Keys was open in his answers to interview questions, both when speaking about his successes and his failures.

Keys was not available for comment Wednesday.

Crader said Keys assured the police board he wasn't involved with any misconduct while in Chaffee and that no legal issue will follow him to Scott City. Crader said the board didn't consult members of the Chaffee city government before making the decision, but the standard procedures of testing, interviewing and a criminal-background check were followed.

But discussion of the controversy that might follow the recommendation was heard among the police board, Crader said.

"There was a lot of talk about criticism, but ... the way we looked at it is, he assured us he had nothing to do with what happened," Crader said. "What we're looking for is the most qualified individuals we can find to make our police department the best it can be."

A few weeks after Keys took office in Chaffee, officer James Backfisch engaged in a high-speed chase that ended in two deaths. The city is now facing three lawsuits for wrongful death and personal injuries as a result of the chase.

In February, Daniel Ayers was charged with patronizing prostitution and fired from the department.

The charges were later dropped after witnesses recanted their testimony, but Ayers alleged he was set up after threatening to expose wrongdoing within Keys' department.

Most recently, three officers and a dispatcher resigned. The reasons weren't made public, except that one officer resigned to take a better-paying job and the dispatcher resigned because the hours were undesirable.

Cobb said he has confidence in the decisions the city's police board makes. Cobb has no vote on the police board, which is not part of the police department.

Crader said the board believes Keys will do what is in the best interest of the city, and if people knew the whole story of what happened in Chaffee the decision might not be so controversial, though he could not divulge completely the details of what Keys told the board about his time in Chaffee.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182