JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
A Jasper police officer was recently terminated from his position for violating three separate policies that all officers are to abide by while on duty.
Chief Billy Mason of the Jasper Police Department came forward to the town’s governing body to share the officer in question’s recent actions. He began by explaining how on Saturday, September 6, the officer was called in to assist another officer from Kimball’s Police Department to help apprehend a burglar breaking into cars in the area. At around the same time, a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert was called in to inform personnel of a silver-colored SUV which caused damage to both a guard rail as well as an ice box within the area. Upon the officer returning to Jasper, he noticed the SUV at Food City in Kimball and pulled in to apprehend the driver. However, the driver immediately evaded the officer and began making their way towards the interstate, kick starting a high speed chase which involved the officer in question, as well as personnel from the Marion County Sherriff’s Department.
The pursuit lasted all the way west into Monteagle, where the suspect crashed the SUV and was apprehended. However, back in Jasper two more calls were made to the police department, with no officer on duty in the community at the time to quickly respond to the scene. And when the Jasper officer returned, only one of the two calls was properly answered and resolved.
“The issued I had was that we’ve been told not to get any police pursuits, and he started the police pursuit outside our city limits. He left our city limits unattended, and he broke our speed limit policy that we have set,” explained Mason.
Additionally, Billy stated the officer violated the department’s policy of leaving the town unattended, further driving the decision towards his termination. And when asked by Alderman Jim Fowler if the officer was alone, Billy noted the officer was not alone and had a trainee by his side.
Jasper’s Board of Mayor & Aldermen ultimately agreed to terminate the officer from the town’s police department. Despite the termination, two new personnel for the department were also approved for hiring during this month’s meeting, leaving both the current as well as additional space filled within the Jasper Police Department.