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Replacement of city police chief considered

Franklin Mayor-Elect Eugene Foulcard may be seeking the ouster of Franklin Police Chief Sabria McGuire after he takes office July 1.
The Banner-Tribune has received numerous calls on the matter from city residents.
When contacted, Foulcard said he would withhold his comments on the situation until after his inauguration.
Likewise, McGuire chose not to comment, and gave as her reason: She is still discharging her duties as a civil servant and does not think it would be appropriate, saying only, “I haven’t yet received anything in writing.”
However, according to a report filed June 8, by KATC, Foulcard said he plans on “going in a different direction” as pertains to the police department, and cited the city charter as the authority for his appointment of a new department head there.
But Deputy State Examiner Jackie Cummings informed the television station that, “You can’t just come in and clean house of classified employees,” adding that McGuire, as Chief of Police, holds a classified position.
Cummings, in answer to a request for comment from the Banner-Tribune, referred to the revised statutes concerning the Police Officer’s Bill of Rights in municipalities and parishes.
Part of the statute states, “Any discipline, demotion, dismissal, or adverse action of any sort whatsoever taken against a police employee or law enforcement officer without complete compliance with the foregoing minimum standards is an absolute nullity.”
Furthermore, Cummings pointed out that there is a board of appeals as the recourse for any regular classified service employee who feels they have been terminated or subjected to disciplinary action unjustly.
In such a case, the statute states that within 15 days of the issued action, the employee can, “demand in writing a hearing and investigation by the board to determine the reasonableness of the action. The board shall grant the employee a hearing and investigation within 30 days after receipt of the written request.”

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Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874

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Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255