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He Feels To Important To Retire But Should Be GONEEEEEEEE

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 5476

Posted by: RStokes
[email protected]
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Date: Jul 31 2021 10:53 AM

ALABAMA:     Today while eating breakfast at Ray's Restaurant I was watching FOX NEWS.


The volume was off and was watching the scrolling messages and one caught my eye;


CITIES SCRAMBLING TO ADD POLICE AS CRIME SPIKES


And this is a true statement, here and everywhere. Law Enforcement Agencies scramble to get officers in large and small agencies. The ones who have retired; OZARK - John Crawford; DOTHAN - Chief Steve Parrish, Captain Scott Long, SBI - Tim Rogers, TROOPERS - Captain Tracy Nelson, Colonel Charles Ward, Sgt. Simmons ... this is only a handful and by no means all of them.


The experience just in this area we have lost to retirement and more planning retirement. Henry County Sheriff Will Maddox asked for more money to be competitive in order to hire deputies and the Henry County Commission is addressing that in the new budget that begins October 1. But the need is now and immediate.


One small department hired a formally certified officer as Chief. He had moved away but returned and has to go through the refresher academy. Been hired since last of May or first of June but can not ride alone unless a certified officer is with him. Now this man was a certified Alabama Law Enforcement Officer who left Alabama and police in another state. He is having to wait until September before the refresher course is available. The refresher course is 95 to 120 hours taught over a three week period.


The problem in Alabama is, you are required to be full time with a department in order to attend the Alabama Police Academy. Then that agency has to pay you for 14 weeks, 560 hours, furnish your transportation, room and meals while you attend Alabama Police Academy. Then often times the officers use the small towns to get certified and then move onto larger departments for more money.


In Florida, a person interested in law enforcement can pay their own way and attend police academy to become certified. Once Florida certified they can come to Alabama and take a couple of weeks course and become certified in Alabama. Now they hold a multi state certification.


But nooooo, not in Alabama ... you must get an agency to hire you, then pay your salary while you attend academy, pay your tuition, room, meals, and transportation.


One reason Alabama has not progressed is they have someone who should have retired long ago as Executive Director of Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, also referred to as APOST is R. Alan Benefield.


Benefield was the retired Ozark Police Chief. After his retirement he sought election as Mayor of Ozark. Following the election, based on the number of votes, Benefield had to begin wearing four guns, one on each side and one on each ankle, because he found out he was not as popular as he thought.


A powerful man got Benefield the Executive Secretary of APOST. And he has been the Executive Secretary ever since.


After Benefield retired as Police Chief, Tony Spivey was appointed as Police Chief. Spivey retired January 2015 and served 18 years as Police Chief. That means Benefield retired as Police Chief in 1997 or so.


Benefield's time of progress has long passed. Several years it has been rumored he will retire. But Alan Benefield is someone who has to feel important and like he is somebody. So he will not retire until he just can not move. Because he knows when one retires people will tell him to kiss it. And now they all kiss his.


But Alabama has the same crisis as other agencies. And Benefield is not progressive and is not innovative in making law enforcement officers. 


One person on the APOST Commission is Retired ALEA Colonel Charles Ward. Today Ward is Interim Police Chief of Ozark Alabama. He is about to witness first hand the difficulty in getting municipal law enforcement officers. Hopefully Ward will see the "real world" faced by municipalities and counties and make some bold steps in APOST. And one giant step should be to send R. Alan Benefield into retirement.


Then, perhaps Alabama might progress. 


Also remember, Dothan and Wiregrass Foundation constructed a $ 22 million training center here in Dothan. A great place for police academy.


Because fire does not have people like R. Alan Benefield in charge, they have had fire training schools and medic schools at the Wiregrass Training Center. They are being progressive in training people who want to be fireman and medics. 


Get Benefield out of the way.




He Feels To Important To Retire But Should Be GONEEEEEEEE

He Feels To Important To Retire But Should Be GONEEEEEEEE

Family First Funeral Home

He Feels To Important To Retire But Should Be GONEEEEEEEE

He Feels To Important To Retire But Should Be GONEEEEEEEE

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