Expert to City Council: Flatten the command structure, eliminate the position of major, solve conflict between Chief Scott Pitts and his second-in-command
The Fayetteville Police Department could see a massive shake-up after a critical report was delivered to the City Council in open session Tuesday night.
The report, presented by Frank Rotando, who serves as the executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, was delivered in open session only after The Citizen argued that under Georgia’s Sunshine Law it should not be heard in executive session with the public excluded.
The City Council originally voted 3-2 to table the item until further legal advice was given, but then reversed course and decided to hear the report in front of the public.
Recommendations in the report include:
• Restructuring the police department into two divisions, Patrol and Investigations/Support. Currently, the department has four divisions: Uniformed, Investigations, Warrants and School Resource, according to the department’s website page.
• Eliminate the position of major and have a captain manage each of the two divisions. Currently, the department webpage lists one major in the department, Major Jeff McMullan.
• Examine the major managerial conflict between the police chief, Scott Pitts, and the major.
• The current captains would be assigned the rank of lieutenant, while lieutenants would become sergeants. There would be no reduction in pay.
• Reevaluate the promotion process, which many officers believe is flawed.
• Re-examine how extra-duty jobs are assigned.
• Evaluate the position in charge of state certification and CALEA certification. The current officer has not had adequate training.
• Address issues with the evidence room. The ceiling in the room is not secure and there is high humidity in the room, that could compromise evidence.
For a full accounting of the report, see the April 6 edition of The Citizen.
