It was the approaching high tide of the politics of controversy last week in Fayetteville. In its wake thus far, the two highest ranking members of the city's police department have given notice of leaving city government.

What remains before the tide washes out will be the near-term actions of the mayor and council as citizens and police advocates stand their ground.

In addition, Fayetteville officers may soon be represented in labor relations by the Police Benevolent Association.

It all may be coincidence, but the simultaneous retirement of Fayetteville Police Chief Johnny Roberts and the resignation of Maj. Steve Ledbetter announced May 19 by Mayor Kenneth Steele came on the heels of an escalating controversy within the department that surfaced in April when former Officer Harold Simmons filed two federal discrimination complaints.

Simmons was fired after he refused to apologize to two fellow officers whom he had taped without their knowledge. Such taping, said Simmons in an earlier public meeting, is not without precedent by others in the police department, including Chief Roberts.

In April and May, the actions of Roberts and Ledbetter came under increasing scrutiny. A full-blown controversy was fueled at the May 5 council meeting, where emboldened current and former officers and a large number of the public filled the council chamber. Unlike the circumstances at that meeting, several during the May 19 meeting intended to be heard.

At the May 19 meeting, Steele announced the personnel moves regarding Roberts and Ledbetter as added agenda items at the meeting.

He stated that Roberts was retiring with an effective Aug. 1 and that Ledbetter was resigning with an effective Aug. 31. Both men, Steele said, would be on paid administrative leave until their effective dates.

After the meeting, City Manager Joe Morton said the departure of Roberts and Ledbetter was not related to Simmons' discrimination complaints. The transition represents a new direction for the police department, he said.

Morton said Monday that the Aug. 1 retirement date for Roberts and the Aug. 31 resignation for Ledbetter were mutually agreed upon between the men and the council. The council felt that those dates were within reason, he said, especially since at this point there are no disciplinary issues involved.

"Those dates allow for a transition to occur," Morton said. "The council thought those dates were reasonable and would be productive for the day-to-day running of the department."

Regarding the day-to-day operations, Morton acknowledged that, based on Friday's meeting with Steele, senior officers and himself, that he was not in charge of the police department.

That runs contrary to statements made May 19 by Steele who, when questioned, told the public that Morton would be in charge of the department.

Morton said Monday that senior lieutenant at the department, Lt. Jeff Harris, is currently the in-charge officer at the department for daily operations. Harris, in turn, reports to Morton.

The city is in process, said Morton, of advertising internally for an interim police chief. The advertising period will run through May 31. Once the interim chief is in place the city will begin advertising for the permanent chief's position.

In attendance at the packed house May 19 were eight members of the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), who took seats on the front row at the meeting. Though they did not address the mayor and council, their presence was obvious. PBA Representative Terry Nowell said after the meeting that the organization was present to provide a show of support for all officers of the police department.

"We look at this situation as an issue that if one officer can be fired and brought up on charges and there's been no internal complaints about the officers that were supposedly taped, it can be done against any officer," Nowell said. "If someone is fired it must be for a justifiable reason and not just because the boss doesn't want you around."

Nowell said PBA has currently signed a majority of officers to the organization. enough officers, he said, to form a chapter in Fayetteville.

Following the Reports and Comments section of the May 19 agenda, Steele was told there were no city manager or staff reports.

Facing a packed meeting with standing room only, Steele called for public comments, waiting approximately three seconds before moving on to call for committee reports, apparently unaware that someone had approached the podium to speak.

A total of six of the many in attendance addressed the board, including some who had wanted to speak at the May 5 council meeting but were prohibited from doing so when Mayor Pro-tem Larry Dell ended that portion of the meeting after lengthy comments from Simmons, apparently believing that other comments from the mass of people present would be redundant.

Speaking briefly to the board during the public comments portion of the May 19 meeting, Simmons thanked those present for supporting his attempt to get his job back. Simmons said he had worked hard and was standing on his reputation.

"I am a leader and I think the officers are ready to follow. I'm not here to point fingers. I love the people of Fayetteville and I'm ready to bring myself