HOLLOW ROCK, Tenn. (February 17) — A half-dozen residents expressed frustration about Hollow Rock’s lack of a police force and demanded answers from Mayor Ronnie Webb and the Board of Aldermen at their meeting on Tuesday, February 17.
“There hasn’t been a policeman by our house in a month,” said resident Doug Hedge. “Have we not got any police?”
“We have one left,” said Mayor Webb.
He told residents that Police Chief Tim Reeves had recently undergone surgery on his spine and had two weeks of medical leave remaining. Rob Weems, the town’s most recent departure, had just resigned. Officer Whitney left to take a position in Trezevant, and Officer Barry Larkins had already departed two weeks prior.
“We had one just barely resigned, and he hadn’t patrolled in weeks,” said resident Michael Squires. “So that’s just an excuse. That’s not a reason.”
After more pressing from residents, Mayor Webb gave them an explanation for the department’s collapse.
“What we ran into was the board had requested for them to have rotating shifts, and they pretty much refused to do that,” he said. “They wanted to work when they wanted to work — all four of them on day shift.”
Webb explained that officers would arrive between 7 and 8 a.m. and leave by early afternoon, leaving afternoons, nights, and weekends uncovered. When the board pushed for evening and weekend rotations, the officers allegedly refused.
As a disciplinary measure, the board issued verbal warnings, then written warnings, and finally reduced each officer’s hours to ten per week. None of it changed the behavior, according to Webb.
The board then issued a corrective action plan requesting a written response to the issues. Town Recorder RaSha Higdon said the plan went unanswered, and no issues were resolved.
On top of the scheduling problems, Webb said only one officer was consistently writing tickets.
“Barry was the only one that was really writing tickets,” said Alderwoman Angela Stockdale. “He was the only one you could depend on to be out there writing tickets.”
Higdon reported that Chief wrote just 17 tickets for all of last year. In contrast, state troopers passing through town were writing more citations than the local officers, Webb said.
“Because the officers are sitting in the parking lot talking to each other instead of writing tickets,” Stockdale added.
While the town goes without an officer on duty, residents must depend on the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department. That has not always gone well.
Resident Susie Squires recalled a night when she sat with a neighbor waiting for the Sheriff’s Office to arrive.
“[We] waited for over two hours for the County,” she said. “I called Michael Smith in the middle of the night, and he…took care of it before we could even get anyone [out there].”
“What is the plan going forward?” Michael Squires asked the Mayor. “Because inaction is unacceptable. You’re sitting on your hands. Get off your hands and actively pursue hiring someone.”
Higdon pushed back, saying that the resignations had only happened within the past two weeks.
“It’s not that we’re not doing anything,” she said. “We were trying to resolve issues with the ones that we had employed.”
Webb insinuated that one of the officers had filed a lawsuit against the town, which has complicated the process of replacing the chief of police. The town’s attorney, Butch Maddox, must resolve the legal matter before the position can be filled, Webb explained.
When residents asked whether pay was the root of the problem, Alderwoman Vivian Grooms acknowledged that the town’s wages are not competitive.
Hollow Rock pays officers around $15 an hour, she said, while neighboring Bruceton pays $23.
“We’re going to have to pay them [more],” Grooms said. “But we do have to raise taxes to pay them, because right now, we do not have the money for full-time police officers.”
“I’m not for raising taxes,” said one person in the audience. “We’re paying enough taxes.”
Squires responded, “What are we getting for our taxes? I don’t see any benefit.”
Mayor Webb said that he’d be willing to set up a meeting and explain where all the tax money goes.
Webb said the town plans to hire one full-time and one part-time officer, which would provide roughly 70 hours of coverage per week on a rotating schedule — still leaving significant gaps.
“We just have to face it,” said Susie Squires. “Certain days, we’re not going to have police at all.”
“When the county doesn’t patrol here, to me, that’s no coverage,” said Michael Squires.
Grooms pointed out that the town of Atwood operates without a police department entirely.
“Atwood doesn’t have none,” she said.
“I don’t live in Atwood. I don’t care about them!” Michael Squires replied.
“They’re as big as we are,” Grooms continued.
“I don’t care about them!” Michael Squires repeated.
Webb said interviews for the positions would begin as soon as the town’s attorney clears the legal issues, but offered no specific timeline.
Other business
In other business, Mayor Webb presented the board with a proposal to contract out the town’s water leak repairs to an outside company rather than hiring a new public works employee at $20 to $22 an hour.
Webb said he had received bids from companies in Camden and Paris that would respond to water leaks within 24 to 48 hours for a $100 flat fee plus $150 per hour for equipment operation. If a repair fails, the company would return at no additional charge.
“We just paid $8,000 to get that backhoe fixed,” said Grooms.
Webb said he was gathering three years of data on equipment repair costs, comp hours, and water leak expenses before bringing a formal recommendation to the board.
Residents also raised concerns about property maintenance and vehicles accumulating on residential lots. Webb acknowledged that the town’s existing ordinances are vague and need to be strengthened. Higdon added that the code enforcement process is lengthy, and that many of the same properties are repeat offenders.
On the topic of economic development, Webb said he has met with the Chamber of Commerce and contacted businesses including Granges and Hydro-Gear about bringing industry to Hollow Rock.
He said the town has also explored attracting a grocery store and a medical clinic, but acknowledged the difficulty small towns face in competing for investment.
Hollow Rock’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 17 at 5 p.m.