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KDH takes action against officers who sued town
Kill Devil Hills officials have fired one of two police officers involved in a lawsuit against the town and another has been moved to the Animal Control unit.
Officers Andrew Ennis and Joseph Knight were initially suspended on May 29 because of complaints filed against them.
The complaints appear to have been initiated by Chief Gary Britt, and sources close to the situation say Britt believed the officers had been interfering with his administration of the department.
Ennis and Knight have filed suit against the town as well as petitions to remove Britt from office. Along with two former officers, David Shane Allen and Robert Booth, they have alleged wrongful termination, alteration of personnel files, favoritism and assignment of “quotas.”
Booth was previously terminated from the department and Allen was allowed to resign after the department originally informed him he was to be fired.
When Ennis and Knight were suspended, superiors came to their homes to take away their police cars, badges and guns. An independent investigation into the complaints followed.
After the investigation, the town held a disciplinary meeting resulting in Knight’s termination. Ennis was transferred to Animal Control.
Attempts to reach the officers were either unsuccessful or the officer refused comment.
Although the town released a statement Jan. 25 saying allegations filed by Ennis were “investigated” and found “simply not true,” the town has apparently prohibited the officers and other town employees from speaking to the media on their own behalf.
Britt was put on non-disciplinary suspension last October after the town received word that District Attorney Frank Parrish intended to file a petition to have him removed. Parrish’s petition outlined points similar to those in complaints filed with Dare County Superior Court Judge Jerry Tillett by the four officers.
The town conducted an internal investigation in conjunction with the North Carolina League of Municipalities, its insurance underwriter. It concluded the Britt was involved in no intentional wrongdoing but needed to work on his management skills.
Parrish never filed the petition, and Britt returned to his job in December.
Attorney Dennis Rose, who represents all four of the officers suing the town, made the following statement to the Voice:
“Officer Knight suspected that a fellow officer was submitting more hours to payroll than the fellow officer actually worked and he was concerned that this officer was getting paid for time not worked.
“Officer Knight accessed certain public information and made inquiry in an effort to determine whether or not this officer had actually worked the hours submitted to payroll.
“When Officer Knight’s actions were brought to Britt’s attention, instead of investigating to confirm whether Officer Knight’s suspicions were correct, Britt filed a complaint against Officer Knight alleging that Officer Knight was acting in a manner that interfered with his ability to efficiently operate the KDHPD.
“Britt filed a similar complaint against officer Ennis also alleging that officer Ennis’ conduct interfered with his ability to efficiently operate the KDHPD.
“The factual basis for the complaint against Ennis is unknown. To my knowledge there was absolutely no evidence to support that Officer Ennis or Officer Knight had acted in a manner detrimental to the KDHPD. Officer Ennis was stripped of his badge, handgun and transferred to Animal Control. Officer Knight was terminated.”
Rose went on to allege that Britt, and Assistant Town Manager Sean Murphy, who heads human resources, “without any concern of being disciplined by the Town Manager or the Town’s Administration, are doing whatever they can to continue their abuse and harassment of these fine officers and intimidate other police officers from voicing any complaints about their employment with the Town or the KDHPD .”
The Voice also learned that when Rose showed up at the initial independent review, which was conducted by a police officer from another jurisdiction, he was told he would not be allowed to sit in on the proceedings. Rose insisted he be shown the policy provision that prohibited the officers from having legal counsel with them. After a series of phone calls and a review of the town code, Rose was allowed to be with his clients while they were questioned.
According to the draft petition prepared by Parrish in September 2011, “at least eight officers have been terminated” under Britt’s tenure, who was hired in mid-2008.
Knight raises that number to nine.
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Jim Poulos says:
In these times I pray for Peace amonst our finest and not let policies and procedures set by human beings not get in the way. Policies and procedures are not Gods Law but humans
Outsider Looking In says:
A fish rots from the head down. Looks like KHPD is rotting faster by the day.
non-KDH folk says:
This still raises a lot of questions. When one official has fired 9 nine employees, I question the effectiveness of that official. That should be a red flag and REALLY needs to be investigated by someone other than town officials.
Rnr says:
Now while I do understand that these officers (cops in general not anyone specific) can get a little power hungry and not handle themselves properly so the chief in charge needs to have a back bone..HOWEVER, it bothers me that an officer is suspected of “adding hours” and that noone has investigated the allegation. IF it is intrue a fact that ths allegation is out there, its a litle suspicious in itself that the chief hasn’t done anythig about it.
Not again! says:
By my count, KDH is now operating with three fewer officers during the busiest time of year. One is in Afghanistan, one has been fired, and one is working Animal Control.
Britt has fired or re-assigned two officers who have pending lawsuits against him and the Town. Doesn’t the “Whistleblower Act” offer them protection under these circumstances?
Britt doesn’t seem concerned that some officers (his “pets”?) may not be on duty when they should be. That would leave their shift short-handed, and could be a safety issue for the officers, as well as the citizens.
Why would the Town administration try to prevent the officers’ attorney from attending the review? Obviously, there was nothing in the Town code to back that up. Does the Town have the right to prohibit employees from talking to the media?
Britt thinks the officers are interfering with his administration of the PD. It would appear that Britt is lacking ANY management skills, and should have been replaced long ago, along with the Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, and all of Britt’s “favorites.” This has gone on long enough. People need to wise up.
Where and Why says:
Sounds like the process we have all been waiting for is finally able to start moving forward. I understand when an investigation starts you need to be very careful and not just start cleaning house, but now is a good time. The town must have some pretty solid info on these officers to finally let them go or demote, because we know they are already lawyered up! I imagine the other officers just want the office to get back into routine and get the microscope off of them.
You think 9 is a lot! says:
How many people have been fired or quit the health dept.! That you peak your curiosity even more!
chaser says:
KDH…business as usual.
Joan says:
This is a very telling situation about law enforcement vs. political pressures in Dare County. Political power always wins, and there is not a person in the legal system in North Carolina (private or public) that will stand up or win against our corrupt legal elite “club”. Knight and Ennis were good law enforcement professionals, probably in a lose, lose situation in the face of tyrannical rule. Very sad.
katy says:
kdh is so worried about chickens, the seem to have a BIG FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE.
jt says:
This speaks novels about the KDH Town Manager. It is a shame that she has allowed the town to become an embarrassment by taking no action at all against the chief.
Shame on the new BOC for continuing to allow a Town Manager to drag the KDH name though the mud.
It is beginning to become real clear that our newly elected officials will only serve 1 term
NagsHead02 says:
Officer Knight isn’t just a number; he’s a man with a wife and children who are now without an income thanks to the unchecked power of Gary Britt and the Town’s Management. When will the elected officials start addressing this situation?
Cliff says:
Quick hypothetical question:
If my taxes go up as because of damages paid out to police officers as a result of the Town Manager refusing to perform her job pertaining to the chief…..Can I file a lawsuit against the town, since the Town Manager was made aware of the Chief’s management skills or the lack thereof by the investigative team sent by the state?
Frank Moore says:
Britt rules and be damn the consiquences !! KDH is leaderless and the Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager and the ineffective BOC is to blame.
Backbone??? says:
Oh, and it seems I’ve read that Chief Britt has been investigated several times with no findings of wrong doings?? So…let the investigations continue. Maybe justice will prevail. May God Bless the Citizens of KDH’s and their chickens!
ekim says:
Troops are only as good as their CO, You boys cant be TRUSTED!!! Yall better clean it up NOW!!!!
RnR says:
The corrupttion in this and neighboring counties is ridiculous. The movie Street Kings comes to mind.
Does it seem fishy to anyone that noone has yet to investigate the allegations of an officer adding hours? Whether its a tit for tat situation or not, an allegation that serious needs to be investigated. And the fact that britt hasn’t and the fact he was offended in the first place is suspicious.
Paul says:
Time for the town Managers to step in and fire Britt . 9 officers since he started , would like to see what the firings were prior to his arrival . Core of the problem starts with the Chief . Time to move on and lets get these guys back on track . KDH deserves a PD without issue’s , there’s enough just with the crap happening on the streets . Don’t need any officers getting hurt on the job because of this B.S.
Jackie Harris says:
The saying is that a rudder less ship will go around in circle’s. Welcome aboard the USS KDH!
Patience Grasshopper says:
People here need to remember that you do not just start firing people when you have an ongoing investigation. Because of the investigation and law suits, this does take time and feel that it is dragging on. Remember the officers attorney was in the meeting, obviously he did not think they were fired or moved around for nothing and I do not see him screaming that his clients were mistreated. The process is happening slowly but surely. I am not on the inside, but I am thinking some of these issues were carried over from the former chief. Maybe they were never fully resolved?
Sandra says:
Police officers do not become police officers for the money it pays. It’s a passion that comes from within. To all the police officers in KDH’s, keep your chin up, continue to do the job you wanted to do and were hired to do, and try to respect those who don’t respect you. It’s a sad fact that some have so little respect for what you do. Have faith that justice will prevail. May God be with you all and your families as you put your lives on the line each and every day to protect others.
Ralph says:
Just a simple question,which I have submitted before,but seems to be too hot to get published. WHO IS PAYING THE LEGAL FEES FOR THESE POLICEMEN WHO ARE OPPOSING CHIEF BRITT? Your newspaper should have the information,however by not publishing the answer to my question,I must assume that you are biased. Therefore,I will try other methods of bringing this information to the public, IE:The Outer Banks Sentinel.
Russ Lay says:
I’ll challenge you on this one. Exactly how would you propose any entity can discover who is paying a private transaction between a lawyer and his clients? There is no public record and the possible payment methods, including contingency compensation are endless. Rock on and question whatever media source you desire. If you think this is a simple question, then tell us how you pay your doctor, dentist, your own lawyer and anyone else you contract with. Better yet, tell us who you are. We sign our articles, you don’t sign your real name. Peace.
ekim says:
Britt an the town Manager need to go!Lets not forget who pays these BOZOS! WE THE PEOPLE!!
outerbanker says:
How about these “peace officers” stop acting like little high school girls and start taking care of the gang members living across the street from me?
When everyone takes more time to point the finger and file papers there is less time for actual policing to be done.
There are red flags everywhere on both parties but all I want is some safety to return to the outer banks! All these robberies and accidents and other thefts are happening because we dont have enough officers doing what they should be doing!
Cliff says:
@ OuterBanker….It is kind of hard to keep things safe around here when the Chief fired one officer for “possibly exposing a payroll scam”, demoted another officer to animal control and allowed a 3rd officer to take the whole summer off because of a better paying part time job.
Going into July 4th weekend, KDH is short at least 3 officers.
This is just a recipe for disaster and with the potential liability, I hope the town’s pockets are deep enough!
RonaldS says:
As a friend of some of the guys who work and who have worked there I can say with some certainty that at least some of those 9 who where let go needed to be let go of . . .
I don’t know Britt and really haven’t heard too many great things about him. Sounds like he’s got some favorites and plays a little high and mighty. But I’ll say I think he did the right thing getting rid of some of those that aren’t there no more and don’t need to be criticized for that.
Frank Moore says:
@OuterBanker is probably related to either Britt, the Town Manager or the Assistant Town Manager but we will never know becaues he/her will not identify him/her self !
Carla says:
I can assure you that if we do not have a police chief with good management skills, then it will reflect back on the overall daily operations of the department, as seems to be the case therein shown. It posses a very bad reflection on the Town in how the Town Manager has failed to make a proper investigation as to the department’s operations. The loss of 8 officers since 2008 indicates the neglect of proper management from both our police chief and town manager. We cannot there expect our remaining officers to perform their duties working under these conditions, which is a shameful situation. Unfortunately, it does appear as if we do need to make some major changes in our publicly held offices come election time. Our police force works very hard and does not need this type of bad repore.
Sandra says:
Does anyone ever wonder why Chief Britt has continued to do his job after several years of the abuse and harassment these comments reflect? Really? Why? How many would continue to deal with it everyday? Would you’all deal with it in your jobs, or would you walk away? It seems he is dedicated and has backbone. What else would you want in a police chief?
voice reader says:
@sandra. he puts up with it bc of the $80K+/yr paycheck and paying $1000 in currituck taxes and getting the benefit of dare county schools. sounds like a good reason to me. know of any chief jobs around here? nope. and you can believe he’s not going back to the streets after being head honcho.
Sandra says:
@voice reader: Maybe Russ should print a story on Britt’s credentials, education, experience and background. In other words, all the reasons he qualified for the job in the beginning. I’m sure KDH’s is not the only place he could find work. And why he would continue to work in this circus that surrounds him is beyond my understanding.
Frank Moore says:
Sandra you seem to be close to Britt so why don’t you get from him and post the reason he was qualified for the job and why he stays around ?
Sandy says:
He attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., receiving a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (B.S.) degree in 1968. He spent the summer of 1967, interning for Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright.
While in college, he became a brother of Alpha Phi Omega and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was also a member of the Order of DeMolay, a youth group affiliated with Freemasonry. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi honorary band fraternity.
Upon graduation, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to University College, Oxford where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
The above “credentials and education” are from Bill Clinton. Doesn’t really mean he was a great leader.
Just because Britt has worked at a couple different police departments and has an internet college degree does not mean he knows how to properly lead people.
EVERYONE including a group of investigators that were looking out for the best interest of the town said that the man has serious management issues.
And to answer your question as to why he continues to stay…maybe he wants to make sure that his buddy “anderson” is able to take off next summer too!
Britt says:
I guess I am the best person to talk about my professional accomplishments and why I am qualified for the Chiefs position. I will start by saying that I am very proud of my 28 year law enforcement unblemished career. I am a U.S. Air Force Veteran 1985(MOS law enforcement), started my civilian law enforcement career in 1989 with Elizabethtown PD, worked my way through the ranks to assistant chief. I worked with Department of State/United Nations International Police Task Force for a total of five years working in management positions for at least for of those five years. I worked with Morrisville PD as Captain of the Patrol Division. I have a Master’s Degree in Public Administration/Management, Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and Associates Degree in Law Enforcement Technology. Graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 242. Those qualifications do not make me any better than someone who has less qualifications but I put that out there because you asked. I am very modest and humble about the opportunities that I have been given over the years. I have been blessed to have those opportunities. I am very disappointed by the individuals that continue to judge me based on what someone else has told them or what the media prints. I am happy to sit down and talk about non-personnel related issues with anyone at their convenience and choice of venue if they take the time to get to know me. Otherwise, I will not be baited into responding to the rhetoric that some of the Britt haters and/or KDH PD haters continue to spew. I have had opportunities to leave the PD to make more money but the reason I stay is because I know each of the officers that remain at the Police Department are special. They deserve better than what they are being dealt. I have worked with International Police Officers and some of the finest domestic Police Officers,and Kill Devil Hills PD has some of the finest officers hands down. I believe in them and they apparently believe in me or they would be going elsewhere to work. If I thought for a moment that if I left the PD things would get better for them I would be gone tomorrow. If it wasn’t me caught in the political non-sense it would be someone else. I am not the kind of person to run at the first sign of trouble. I will be here until the officers get the respect they deserve. It is not about me and never has been. It is about the Officers themselves and the commitment they have made to the Kill Devil Hills community and the professionalism I know they posses. That is why I stand firm.
Sandra says:
Frank, I’m leaving that to you. You want to keep us all informed. Go for it. Show us all how much you really know. You seem to know everything about everybody. Maybe you should run the police dept. You could really work on your grammar and punctuation though. Just saying.
Sandra says:
By the way Frank Moore, why do you attack anyone that has supportive comments about Britt? That has become very obvious to me. Do you think readers haven’t noticed this? Wow, I’m assuming you ARE NOT close to Britt. Soooo….how much do you really know?
Russ Lay says:
Chief Britt: I appreciate the response. But it gives you an unfair advantage. Under your own town policy, it would be a violation for them to post here and disagree with your claim that “they believe in me.” You seem to think we write in a vacuum here. We don’t. But given what has happened to the other officers, who else would be naive enough to come forward and speak out about your tenure. Moreover, the resumes of the officers dismissed are likely as “qualified” as yours, for all we know, equally unblemished before they came to the KDHPD. But you knew that when you wrote this.
Rob Morris says:
Comments are closed. Take your debate offline or feel free to write to info@outerbanksvoice.com.