Fair Grove seems unable to shake troubles involving its police department. Last week, the head of the city’s police force — who was hired less than eight months ago — was placed on administrative leave.
Mayor Thomas Voorhis confirmed the decision to place Chief Roy Howell on administrative leave but did not comment on how long the leave would last nor the circumstances surrounding the decision, noting the “sensitive nature of this personnel matter.”
“I want to assure everyone that this decision was not made lightly,” he said in a written statement. “The Board of Aldermen has had extensive discussions with each other and our legal counsel, and we believe this course of action is in the best interest of the city.”
A police vehicle is parked in front of the Fair Grove Police Station on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020.
The mayor and city clerk refused to provide the News-Leader with the board’s vote to place Howell on leave. While the draft minutes of the Dec. 3 closed session meeting were shared, they did not include a motion or a vote on the administrative leave. According to the state’s Sunshine Law, “any vote on a final decision, when taken by a public governmental body, to hire, fire, promote or discipline an employee of a public governmental body shall be made available with a record of how each member voted to the public within seventy-two hours of the close of the meeting where such action occurs.”
Sergeant Billie Deckard, hired by Howell in May according to the Fair Grove department’s Facebook page, is acting chief during Howell’s absence.
Who is Roy Howell?
Howell was hired in March after the position was vacant since mid-December and the department was left with only one fully trained officer following several resignations. Howell was the city’s fourth police chief since mid-2020.
The large turnover of police combined with the community protest about a former Fair Grove School Resource Officer being decommissioned brought what most local thought were changes in April’s election. A write-in candidate, Kelly Petty, received more votes than a long-time incumbent while Voorhis, who was endorsed by the former SRO, won the mayoral contest against Alderman Leon Beaty.
Howell was selected with more than thirty years of law enforcement experience after working as a park ranger in Springfield. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Howell spent almost 20 years at the Bellevue Police Department, where he assembled a cyber-forensic lab from the ground up and worked with a K9 who was the first in the Midwest trained to sniff out electronics.
Since being hired, Howell emphasized transparency and open communication and posted regular updates on police happenings, hirings and responses to concerns on Facebook. In April, the board approved new pay and benefits to aid in recruiting police officers as well as a plan to update and secure the computer storage and network for the department, both of which were put together by Howell.
More: State audit finds Vernon County funds were improperly used, excessive taxes collected
Howell hired four full-time officers and a reserve officer. He also created a Police Citizen Advisory Committee, a volunteer body acting as a middle ground between the police and community by helping organize community events and find solutions to complaints.
Howell could not be reached for comment.
Could the chief be removed completely?
State law lays out procedures for a chief law enforcement officer to be fully removed by a governing body. In order to do so, the body must have “just cause,” provide the chief an opportunity to be heard and the board must find just cause to remove the chief by a two-thirds majority vote.
“Just cause” includes inability to perform duties to a mental condition, reckless disregard for the safety of the public or another officer, found to have violated any law that constitutes a felony, and has been deemed insubordinate or found to be in violation of a written established policy among other reasons.
Both Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed to the News-Leader they are not involved in any investigation regarding the Fair Grove Police Department or Howell. The News-Leader has requested records from the city of Fair Grove regarding any report and investigation request but has yet to receive a response.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Fair Grove police chief placed on leave less than a year into job