Perryville discusses policies for chief

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville board of aldermen spent Wednesday evening exploring possible changes to city policy concerning the police chief.

Two major issues the board discussed at a special study session were updating the qualifications for serving as chief and establishing protocols for handling complaints of harassment or discrimination by the chief, who as an elected official is basically outside the city's control.

Some of the city's ordinances governing the chief are confusing or out of date, city attorney Tom Ludwig said.

For instance, the ordinance governing the chief's qualifications states that within six months of being elected, the chief must show proof of completion of a training program based on a pair of state laws that no longer exist "or some other comparable training program of not less than 120 hours instruction approved by the director of the department of public safety of the state of Missouri."

The problem, Ludwig said, is no such program exists, because the state requires police chiefs to have a Class A or B officer's license, which cannot be obtained without 480 to 600 hours of training.

"There is nothing even close to 120 hours approved by the department of public safety," he said.

Mayor Debbie Gahan and several aldermen worried that by updating the ordinance to reflect state requirements, the board might give residents the impression it was trying to increase the qualifications -- an idea many oppose.

"People are going to wonder why all of a sudden it went from 120 to 600 or 700, and it's nothing we did," Alderman Tom Guth said.

The board also discussed eliminating the requirement that city employees take a leave of absence while campaigning for elected office -- a policy rendered obsolete this summer with the passage of a state law allowing first responders to remain in their positions while running for office.

Last week, voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed the city to appoint, rather than elect, its chief.

The board put the measure before voters at the recommendation of a 13-member advisory committee formed after the departure of former chief Keith Tarrillion, who resigned in March amid allegations of misconduct.

The board Wednesday discussed the possibility of requiring employees who believe they are being harassed by an elected official to make a written complaint, which Ludwig would present during open session at the next meeting.

The problem with such a policy, Alderman Gary Schumer said, is anyone with a grudge against an elected official could ruin that person's reputation with a lie.

"If the allegations are true, it should come out," he said. "If they're not true --"

"-- You're damaged for life," Alderman Curt Buerck finished.

Instead, Alderman Prince Hudson suggested discussing the claim in closed session, ordering an investigation and then initiating impeachment proceedings if the investigation substantiated the claim.

"How do you go forward with an allegation that's not substantiated?" Hudson said.

Based on the discussion Wednesday, Ludwig will draft ordinances for the board to consider at its regular meeting Tuesday.

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