There are currently no full-time or part-time officers working for the Lamar Police Department.
Lamar Mayor Darnell Byrd McPherson confirmed to News13 Monday that recent resignations within the department have left it without any officers.
Mayor Byrd McPherson says the town is actively conducting interviews for the position of police chief.
The town’s last chief, Jason Chaney, was accused of stealing pills and altering reports. His trial ended with an “alternative resolution”. In 2017, Chaney told News13 he had hoped to crack down on drug trafficking as the new chief.
“Some people say a new broom sweeps clean,” Mayor Byrd McPherson said at Monday night’s town council meeting. “We want people to feel safe and secure. We want people communicating and talking to each other.”
Mayor Byrd McPherson says a Sergeant and a Lieutenant recently resigned from the police department to go to the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office announced in early March that it had sworn-in two deputies, William James and Joshua Stanley. James and Stanley both came from the Lamar Police Department.
This all happened around the time that an investigation was completed by multiple agencies, surrounding a possible hate crime directed towards Mayor Byrd McPherson. The report indicated that a substance that Mayor Byrd McPherson told police was part of an act of vandalism on her vehicle, was actually a type of powder similar to pollen.
Once a new chief is hired in Lamar, the chief will then help hire others.
“Once we get that person in, they can reconstitute the police department,” Mayor Byrd McPherson said. “They can hire their own team.”
The mayor says the department normally has a ‘Sergeant’ and a ‘Lieutenant’, in addition to the chief.
For now, Mayor Byrd McPherson says the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office is assisting with responding to 9-1-1 calls.
She says Sheriff Tony Chavis recently met with business owners in Lamar during this staff shortage at the police department. The mayor also says she’s met with business owners in an effort to make sure they know they’re still being protected during this time.
“We have businesses that close at 9, we have some that close at 9:30 and we have some that close at 10,” said Mayor Byrd McPherson. “He has assured us that we will have patrol officers there.”
The mayor says the town expects to hire a new police chief by April 1.
The sheriff was at Lamar’s council meeting Monday night, which is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. News13’s Chris Spiker was at the meeting to find out about plans moving forward. Watch his report at 11 p.m.
Mayor McPherson also told News13 Monday that she’s hoping to make progress in a number of other areas around town. Those include infrastructure, the town’s ‘crumbling’ wastewater system, the generation of new business, and adding recreational opportunities for residents in Lamar.
Count on News13 for updates on this story.
