KINSTON POLICE LIEUTENANT'S RESIGNATION ACCENTS MAJOR PROBLEM OF ALL CITIES
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This week the resignation of
Kinston Police lieutenant Ru
dolph mn, a veteran of more
than 12 year’s service, brought
sharply into focus a problem
confronting every small town
and dty police department, as
well as every sheriffs depart
ment in the nation.
That is the problem of con
tinued low wages and increas
ingly hazardous duty. These
two very hard facts of life have
cost and are costing every small
law enforcement agency men
with good records, such as Hill,
and men whose experience is
' vital in view of the many tech
nical problems dumped into toe
laps of law enforcement officers
by wiid court opinions that are
more concerned with the rights
of criminals than of the protec
tion of toe public or the support
of police.
Lt. Hill refers to the small pay
raises he has had over a .long
period, and when he leaves the
department this month, after
12% years, his pay will be con
siderably lower than that of a
rookie member of toe North
Carolina Highway Patrol.
Kinston police officers in ad
dition to having pay scales dras
tically lower than the highway
patrol also must work 20 per
cent longer hours. The patrol
works a 40-hour week and toe
police of Kinston have a 48-hour
work week.
At present a rookie highway
patrolman starts at $6,108 per
year, or $509 per month, and he
gets an automatic raise every
other year until the top level for
a regular patrolman is reached
after 13 years, when his pay
has increased to $8250 per year,
or $710 per month.
In Kinston a rookie police of
ficer starts at $401.40 per month
and in 18 months may move to
the top pay for patrolmen
which is $442 per month.
A highway patrol line sergeant
is paid $9,384 per year, or $782
per month. On the Kinston Po
lice Department a sergeant is
paid $464.88 per month.
A highway patrol first serg
eant is paid $860 per month.
A highway patrol lieutenant is
paid $11,376 per year, or $948
per month. A Kinston Police
Lieutenant is paid $487.76 per
month.
A highway patrol captain is
paid $13,800 per year, or $1150
per month. A Kinston police
captain is paid $537 per month.
To: Chief Bates
From: Lt. R. Hill
Subject: Resignation
Dear Sir;
It is with great sorrow that I
1 have to write this resignation: I
have given "this matter a groat
deal of thought and considera
tion, before - making this decis
ion. Fdr the past twelve and
one half years I have had great
hopes for the professionalization
of Law Enforcement.
Each year that passes, I keep
telling myself, "it can't be much
longer," that the people will
soon demand and receive, good,
Law Enforcement. For the last
few years, I have seen quite a
few changes in this profession,
but, none of these changes has
helped the public opinion on
Law Enforcement (on the local
level).
Local Law Enforcement today
teems ju*t as far away from
professionalization as It did
eight years ago. After the Riots
April 6, 1968, I felt sure the
public would give us a little
more support and respect, I was
wrong. To show their gratitude,
I felt sure the CHy Fathers,
without any encouragement
from the public or merchants,
would appreciate the way wo
handled the Riots, keeping the
damage to a minimum. I was
proud of the way we handled
the situation. Its true wo didn't
make as many arrests as some
of the other unfortunate Cities,
but wo controlled them. We
didn't have the damage, looting,
and pilfridgo as other cities.
A couple of our City Fathers,
made the statement, "wo dM a
good job, and that they were
proud of the way we controlled
them, and that they wouldn't
forget." Some merchants also
made the same statements.
Maybe they didn't forget, but
being proud, and not forgetting,
isn't feeding my family. In the
last two years, the cost of liv
ing has increased 15 per cent, in
the City of Kinston and a little
over a year ago I received a 4
per cent increase in salary.
My take home pay after de
ductions is ever $7.00 lew per
month now, than it was Septem
ber 15, just 5 months ago, due
to the retirement. Insurance and
Social Security increases. This
doesn't count 6m cost of living
of 15 par cent.
The little 4 per cent in over
4 years has done very little to
help feed and cloth my wife
and two children. At the pres
ent time the County Commis
sioners and City Fathers have
no choice blit to raise taxes again
this year to meet their goals and
complete projects Already under
way.
There seems to he nothing for
Law Enforcement in way of a
substantial raise in our wages
to help offset the high costs of
living. I have been working two
and sometime three jobs for ov
er the last 8 or 10 years, to sup
plement my income, so I could
meet my obligations. There just
isn't enough 'hours in one day
to keep these jobs going and get
ting any sleep or time with my
family.
I realize I am not alone, that
there are more Policemen in
Kinston besides myself, who are
in the same boat. Its not fair
to my family, vto the Police' De
partment and to the other em
ployers to hold to many jobs, be
because I can't possibly give my
best when I am tired and fa
tigued from so many hours.
During the National campaign,
all we heard from all three can
didates was Law and Order. The
public hasn't reacted to the
pleas of the Authorities. But
then again, how can we expect
the support from the public
when we can't oven gait the
support of our CHy Fathers?
Mr. J. Edgar Hoover's statis
tics shew an overall Increase in
crime of 18 per cent In the last
year, but, our statistics for Kins
Two Pollocksville Mon Killed Friday;
High Speed Blamed in One-Car Wreck
The investigating patrolman
blamed high speed for a one
vehicie wreck Friday afternoon
that claimed the lives of two
Pollocksville men.
Herman L. Meadows, 30, driv
0 picJwi> W
mond Bed, 49, died instantly
when the truck went out of
to a tree.
The men were driving toward
Pollocksville when the crash oc
curred at about 5:45 p.m.
Patrolman C. W. Oakley said
the truck was demolished in the
crash.
, These were the third and
fourth highway deaths so far
“gta'w01
ton show wo havo a docroaso
over tho past 12 months. To mo,
it sounds that our Dopartmont
has done a tromondous |ob of
crimo provontion. I bogin to
wondor how many pooplo in
Kinston appreciate tho fino
work our Dopartmont has dono.
I havo boon told by soma of
our citisons that tho noxt stop
or fob will bo a eab driver,
which in thair opinion is as
low as you can got. I had
thought up until tho past 12
months that wo had at least 25
par cant of the citizens of Kins*
ton that appreciate good Law
Enforcement, but now, I am
more inclined to believe only
5 per cent appreciate a Law En
forcement Officer. What real
ly convinced me at arriving at
that conclusion was a couple of
months ago, • roportor asked 4
pooplo on tho stroot "if tho City
of Kinston had a surplus of 5
million dollars, how in thoir
opinion should it bo spent?"
Ono of thoso said tho wholo
5 million should bo spont on Ed
ucation and schools, tho soeond
said ho thought it should bo
spont on wolfaro, tho third said,
ho thought it should bo spont
on education and wolfaro, tho
fourth parson said that ho
thought tho wholo 5 million
million should bo spont on Law
Enforcement. This was tho ono
out of tho four who oven men
tioned law enforcement and
this fourth man was prejudiced
because his brother has been
with this Department and he un
derstood the needs and prob
lems of the Police Department.
I thanked tha fourth man for
his fine statements, but during
the conversation, he stated that
he had been criticized by a lot
of people (the public) for hie
stand on Law and Order.
I the last 12Vi years, I have
been kicked, spit on, cursed atr
stepped on, assaulted and even
my family has been cursed by
the lower elements of mankind.
Due to the lack of respect, sup
port, financial as well as other,
I have no other choice but at
this time to submit my resigna
tion. I request my resignation
become effective the 16th of
March 1969, the 16th being my
last day.
Thank you, sincerely
Rodolph Hill
Lt. Kinston Police
Department
.THF. JONES COUNTY.
T O U RNAL
NUMBER 46 TRENTON, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1969 VOLUME XVI
Contradictions Numerous Between Testimony of Witnesses
For Prosecution and Defense of Sheriff Brown Yates as
Much Publicized Effort is Heard by Judge Walter Cohoon
At press time (2 p.m. Thurs
day) the feeling of courtroom
observers mm that the trial of
Sheriff Brown Yates would last
the rest of the day and might
even run over in a Friday ses
sion.
ABC Probe Ordered
In Lenoir County
Monday the State Alcoholic
Beverages Control Board in a
split vote gave the Lenoir Coun
ty ABC Board two weeks to in
vestigate charges made by a
fired truck driver, Elton Butts.
Butts in newspaper interviews,
in appearances on TV and be
fore official boards has accused
several employees of the Lenoir
County department with illegal
acts in winch he has implicated
himself.
Monday tlie joint county boards
of commissioners, health, and
education met and named John
Mitchell off La Grange to the
County ABC board, replacing
Sid Myers, who is now a magis
trate.
This week one of the most pub
licized trials in the history of
Jones County has seen more
than 50 witnesses take the
stand either in prosecution or
defense of Jones County Sheriff
Brown Yates.
An effort instituted last No
vember by five officials of the
Jones County Fair reached the
trial stage this week to remove
Yates from office because of
alleged habitual intoxication.
The list of those called to as
sist in the prosecution of the ef
fort included County Commis
sioner Denford Eubank, District
Judge Walter Henderson, Mrs.
Henderson, Wellynn Dawson,
Highway Patrolmen C. W. Oak
ley, R. R. Mason, Leo Taylor,
Deputy Sheriff Dan Killings
worth, Pollocksville Fireman
Walter Bray.
Defense witnesses included
Judges John Larkins, Albert
Cowper, Howard Hubbard, Ro
bert Wheeler, Court Clerk Rog
ers Pollock, Assistant Court
Clerk Mrs. Nolan Jones, State
Bureau of Investigation Agents
John Edwards and Warren
Campbell, Magistrate Joe Bec
ton, Election Board Chairman
John C. B. Koonce, Township
Constable Maggie Small, Lenoir
County Sheriff Fred Boyd, Ons
low County Sheriff Tom Mar
shall, Lenoir County Deputy
Sheriff Horace Small, Barfield
Haddock, F. G. Simmons, Ray
McDaniel, Duff Taylor, Bartha
Meadows, Earl Yeomans, Mar
vin Philyaw, Clyde Monette,
Garland Pike, Murray Whitaker,
Joe Monette, Henry Mills, Wil
liam Mills, Benjamin Parker, Les
Parker, Fred Murphy, Thomas
Lucas and Adolph Cox.
The case is being heard be
fore Judge Walter Cahoon of
Elizabeth City without a jury,
as provided by laws pertaining
to such matters.
Jones Board Supports Statewide One
Cent Sales Tax (or Local Usages
Monday the Jones Ctounty
Board of Commissioners passed
a resolution asking their repre
sentatives in the general as
sembly to support an additional
one-cent statewide sales tax that
would be distributed to city and
county governments on a per
capita basis.
The board also asked the State
Highway Commission to con-;
struct a crossover at the county
whisky store at Wyse Forks.
The board agreed that in the
future the county would not pay
any part on any indigent’s fu
neral in which the total funeral
cost was over $400. •
The highway patrol was given
temporary use of a room in the
courthouse to give breatholyzer
tests. A bin is being asked in
the general assembly giving the
sheriff authority to ttsue per
assist
mits for purchase of pistols, ap
proval was given to hiring two
nutrional aides in the extension
department at no cost to the
county and April 7th was set
as the day when the board will
be convened as a board of equal
ization and review.
One Civil Suit Filed
In the past week one civil ac
tion has been filed in the office
»f Jones County Clerk of Court
F. Rogers Pollock. In it John
L. Monk is suing for divorce
From Donnie Rhodes Monk. The
tuit alleges their marriage on
February IQ* 1962 and their tap.
■ration on May 12, 1967.
LAND TRANSFERS
Jones County Register of
Deeds Bill Parker reports the
recording of the following land
transfers in his office during
the past week:
From Rosa Lee Collins to Ma
mie Collins 56 acres in White
Oak Township.
fc'rom F. W. and Thelma Good
ing to J. Edward and Ruby Good
ing .93 acres in Trenton Town
ship.
From William and Della Hill
to Johnny and Carol Hill a lot
in Pollocksville Township.
transaction was reported
wrongly: From Roslynd and Vir
ginia Pollock and Jacqueline and
Walter Carson to Norman Kei
lum a tract known as the Sim
mons Place in Pollocksville
Township.
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