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Melville Police Chief involved in controversy regarding fuel budget cuts with City Council

Melville Town Hall
Posted at 11:39 AM, Mar 02, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-02 12:39:04-05

Melville City Council members are calling for the resignation of Police Chief Anthony Moreau after an argument over a proposal to cut the police department's fuel budget.

City Council members along with mayor, Velma Hendrix, are accusing Chief Moreau of spending more on gas money than their budget allows despite the limit being raised once before.

The decision to revoke the budget all together has been brought up in various City Council meetings, in which Council Members tell us Chief Moreau has not attended in over six months.

"It's brought up at almost every town meeting," says Jayme Johnson, a member of the council. "We've received complaints about the chief of police being in other towns, eating at other town's restaurants in the town vehicle, but does not patrol here in town."

"Anytime I have ever used the car, it's for police official business," says Chief Moreau. "They have no idea when they see me, what I am doing or where I am going, but I can assure you it is a police matter and police business."

According to Johnson, they have requested officer schedules from Chief Moreau so that they can be aware of where he and his officers are going, but he refused.

"For officer's safety, I am not going to provide those schedules to them," says Chief Moreau. "If someone has the intentions to harm an officer and I give out those work schedules, they will know exactly where and when that officer is working. I can tell them how many hours a week that officer worked, but for officer's safety, I am not going to give them that schedule and I don't have to."

The City Council believes that Chief Moreau is not fulfilling his duties in the town, but they cannot fire him due to that fact that he is an elected official. So instead, council members are urging him to resign.

"I think the chief should resign," says April Butler Godeau, a member of the City Council. "He does not patrol the town of Melville, he does not secure the safety of the citizens of this town, he is hardly in the town of Melville... he should resign."

Chief Moreau tells us that he has reported the City Council to proper authorities, and Godeau tells us the matter will be discussed at the next council meeting on March 9th.

Whether or not Chief Moreau will show up to that meeting is undetermined.

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