Three members of the Taylortown Police Department, including former Police Chief Daniel Smith, submitted their resignations in recent weeks, citing concerns ranging from administrative interference and officer compensation to transparency and the department’s direction.
Part-time Officer Erwin Mingo Jr. gave his notice Sept. 4, while Sgt. Edwin Roman Jr. submitted his resignation effective Sept. 14. Smith submitted his resignation Sept. 8.
Smith said in his resignation that he accepted the position with the goal of building a professional and community-focused department, but said he could no longer effectively lead under the town’s current administrative environment.
Smith said a major concern was what he viewed as interference in the day-to-day operation of the department. “A police chief could not be held responsible for the department while being denied meaningful authority over its operations,” said Smith.
Smith also raised concerns over officer compensation and statements made during an Aug. 25 Town Council meeting regarding the amount officers were being paid when training, on-call, and scheduled duties were considered.
“Officers frequently worked more than 40 hours while performing additional duties without routinely receiving overtime or compensatory time,” Smith stated. He also disputed suggestions that officers were effectively receiving more than $200 per hour for some duties.
Smith’s resignation also addressed the suspension of Roman, who raised similar concerns in his own resignation.
Roman said he joined the department in February hoping to help rebuild its reputation, but eventually began questioning what he described as the fairness, transparency, and consistency of town decisions.
“I was suspended in June following attempts by town officials to obtain information regarding my stays at a hotel while working in Taylortown,” said Roman. “I was not initially told the reason for my suspension and that nearly two months passed before I was informed of the allegations.”
He also said Smith was excluded from meetings involving police budgets, officer complaints, and other departmental matters, making it difficult for the chief to be held responsible for staffing and coverage while being left out of decisions affecting those areas.
Mingo’s resignation praised the progress made under Smith.
“I witnessed significant progress in the department’s professional relationships with surrounding law enforcement agencies,” Mingo wrote, adding that the department gained “greater credibility, professionalism, and respect” under Smith.
Mingo also pointed to newer equipment, including body cameras, handguns, and computers, but said that over time, “certain policies, decisions, and measures made achieving the overall vision increasingly difficult.”
Taylortown Mayor Bridget Cotton said the town is working toward transitioning to a public safety department capable of handling multiple areas of public safety, including policing.
“Change is challenging, but necessary. Some people handle it well and some don’t,” Cotton said.
Cotton said Taylortown is not a high-crime community but needs officers willing to work weekends and holidays to provide the coverage residents and businesses expect.
“Police chief in a small town is not a desk job or a weekday-only job,” Cotton said.
Cotton said the department currently has a full-time officer, an assistant chief serving as interim chief, and a part-time public safety director who is expected to become a sworn officer once his certification is reinstated. She said the town is also interviewing full- and part-time candidates.
“We are meeting this moment with the right advisors, who will help us add the right people,” Cotton said.
Following Smith’s decision to resign, he partnered with Lighthouse Consulting Group, LLC to review circumstances surrounding the turmoil within the Taylortown Police Department. In its report, the consulting group concluded that the dispute went beyond a disagreement between Smith and town administration. It pointed to concerns involving administrative authority, employee treatment, and potential conflicts of interest.
The group recommended a state-level review of the circumstances.
File photo by Melissa Schaub/Sandhills Sentinel.
Curtis Self | Reporter
Article by Sandhills Sentinel reporter Curtis Self. Curtis has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2019.
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