Centerville Mayor and Council met Tuesday evening for their September work session, and aside from giving consideration to the license applications of two new home based companies in the area, the only matter of new business on the agenda was a Memorandum of Understanding, read by Councilman Micheal Evans, regarding the Centerville Police Department.
The memorandum, dated September 15, 2020, was entered into by and between Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton (“Sheriff’) and the City of Centerville, Georgia (“Centerville”). In part, it stated:
“WHEREAS, Centerville is in need of a certified and qualified public safety officer(s) to oversee and manage its police department temporarily; and WHEREAS, Sheriff has agreed to provide such an officer(s) on a temporary basis to fulfill the needs of Centerville; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and respective representations, covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, the Parties hereto agree as follows: 1. Sheriff shall provide certified and qualified officer(s) to oversee and manage the Centerville Police Department for a period of 90 days beginning at the date of the signing of this agreement.”
Although the work session was closed to the general public due to the ongoing pandemic, the Memorandum of Understanding was read in its entirety for those individuals who viewed the council session virtually through live streaming on the city’s official Facebook page. Mayor and council unanimously approved the memorandum as read.
Centerville Police Chief Chuck Hadden is currently on leave, based upon the information shared during Tuesday’s meeting. No specific details about Hadden’s leave were provided during the council work session; however, while council members met privately in an executive session to discuss what was listed on the agenda as “personnel matters and potential pending litigation,” Captain Ricky Harlowe addressed the media to offer a bit of insight into the situation. Harlowe is a 43-year veteran in law enforcement who has served 37 of those years as a part of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.
In his statement, Harlowe explained that the sheriff’s office has “agreed to provide an interim police chief until the slot is filled or the chief that is on leave returns.” Harlowe also confirmed that he is the person that has been designated to serve in the position of Centerville’s interim police chief.
In 2015, a similar situation occurred in Centerville with its police department that required a temporarily replacement in the same capacity. Harlowe clarified that although they share the same title and same last name, it was his brother, Captain Ronnie Harlowe, who filled that vacancy five years ago, until a permanent hiring was made.
Of his plans during his temporary assignment, Captain Ricky Harlowe stated, “Centerville has a fine police department with good officers. We’re just here to kind of oversee and bring stability until the current chief returns or [until] a new administration.
Harlowe is currently a division commander captain at the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. He learned from Sheriff Talton on last week that he would be overseeing and managing the Centerville Police Department as a part of the Sheriff’s agreement with Centerville. According to Harlowe, his assignment at CPD could be less than the 90-day agreement. The actual time is contingent upon how soon a permanent outcome is determined.
Once mayor and council returned from the executive session to the public work session, the meeting was adjourned with no further discussions.
This shifting in the Centerville Police Department may feel familiar to local residents. In 2015, former Centerville Police Chief Sidney Andrews resigned in June, but before mayor and council entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, they created a new position, Director of Police Services. That position did away with the assistant chief’s position, who at that time was W.G. Cooley. Cooley not long after also turned in his resignation.
After the Director of Police Services position was created, former councilman Ed Tucker resigned from council and was then appointed to the new position in July of 2015. In September of 2015, Tucker was removed from the position, which then led to the city to enter into the agreement with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.
Mayor and council then hired former police chief Ronald Rodgers in February of 2016, who later, in September of that year, turned in his resignation. The Centerville Police Department was without a chief from September 2016 to February of 2017, when Hadden was first appointed as chief.
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