SOUTHPORT — Following the arrest of Police Chief Gary Smith and second-in-command Lt. Michael Simmons, Southport shut down its police department. All nine officers, including Smith and Simmons, are now on paid administrative leave — at a cost of at least $994.76 every day.
Smith and Simmons were arrested after being accused of operating a second business while clocked in at the police department. Their actions allegedly left the department unsupervised for months.
The decision to shutter the police department was made during a Southport Board of Alderman emergency meeting at noon Thursday. The meeting was held, in violation of North Carolina’s open meeting law, without public notice after Smith was in custody and before Simmons was arrested.
“During the chaos of what was going on, we didn’t, we didn’t have access to computers in handling all this,” Southport’s Town Manager, Bruce Oakley, said. “At the time, we couldn’t even think.”
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With nine officers on paid leave – including the two officers in custody – Southport has spent thousands since Thursday.
Here’s how the cost breaks down:
According to the city’s clerk, Michele Windham, the minimum salary for an officer is approximately $34,840. Even assuming the city’s seven duty officers make only the minimum, that’s still $95.45 per officer, or $668.16 per day.
Windham said Smith’s salary is $67,595 and Simmon’s is $51,614 — that’s $326.60 per day.
Thus, by the most conservative calculation, Southport is paying roughly a thousand dollars a day, nearly six thousand dollars so far. According to District Attorney Jon David, there is no time table for how long the Southport Police Department will remain suspended.
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office: No added “strain”
As of Thursday, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies have occupied the Southport Police Department and municipal coverage area at no added cost.
“There’s no agreement or contract,” Emily Flax, BCSO spokesperson, said. “We have power everywhere in the county.”
The added manpower in Southport is being provided without “strain” to the Sheriff’s Office, Flax said. The new arrangement includes two deputies on the street, two individuals in the office and two bike patrol officers. Major Roger Harrington and an administrative assistant are fulfilling the department’s administrative roles.
Flax could not comment on whether deputies would be looking into unsolved cases. She said if a call came in, the sheriff’s office would assist the complainant.
“Well, if there were reports that were taken that were not completed and a person came in to check on that report, then yes, we would handle it,” Flax said.
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