‘His statement was erroneous’: Richmond FOP accuses mayor of misleading public
Among those highlights were Oler talking about the improvements made with the city’s police department, including being able to buy new tasers, body cameras for all officers and seven new police cars, as well as appointing new department heads.
Oler was also quoted as stating that for the first time in many years, the police department is fully staffed.
That claim drew a response from the local John W. Hennigar Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 63 two days later on Facebook, in which the lodge’s executive board denied Oler’s claim.
The board said in its post that the Richmond Police Department had, as of June 19, 66 sworn officers covered under the labor agreement. However, the union contract between the FOP and the city of Richmond stipulates that a full staff is made up of 76 officers.
“It is not only misleading to the citizens of Richmond and Wayne County, but to any person that visits our community and directly affects the perception of safety,” the post read. “Further, it is unfair to the officers of the Richmond Police Department that work tirelessly day in and day out to provide exceptional public safety service to the citizens and visitors of Richmond to be exposed to misleading statements made by the top official of this city.”
The FOP acknowledged that while members of the police administration are sworn and certified, they are not covered under the union contract, and even if they were, RPD would still be short-staffed based on the agreement.
“It is true that the department has faced shortages of officers for many years, which is not isolated to solely this department,” the post read. “Agencies across the United States have faced staffing shortages for many years and work diligently to hire qualified candidates.”
The shortage of officers within RPD wasn’t the only misleading claim the FOP accused Oler of making, adding that he took “credit for initiatives that were in motion before his installment as mayor,” though the statement did not go into any other specifics.
“We acknowledge the efforts that the administrators of the Richmond Police Department have put forth to fill the vacancies and increase the safety of the community, it has not gone unnoticed. However, we believe and respectfully request that Mayor Oler address this statement and acknowledge that the department is still dangerously understaffed and that his statement was erroneous,” the post ended.
Two requests for comment and more details have been sent to both the John W. Hennigar Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 63 and the mayor’s office over the last several days. As of publication, neither side has responded. This story will be updated once more information is provided.
