LEWES, DE - A dispute between the city of Lewes and the police union over officer promotions has been resolved, with Mayor Amy Marasco saying that the promotions have since been rescinded, and the City Council is reviewing how to reinstate them properly.
In June, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) filed a grievance in June, saying that the promotions of three officers violated the union contract, according to a report from CoastTV. Marcos said the issue was not about the officers' performance, adding, "It was really about following procedures."
"There were some past practices that became how things were done that weren't always in alignment with policy," she said.
"Council was really strong about saying we've got to adhere to the written policies. If those policies need to be changed, they can be, but they have to be done procedurally correctly. When you change police policy, you do it in consultation with the union, which is our commitment going forward."
The complaint that was filed over the summer accompanied a vote of no confidence in Lewes City Manager Ellen McCabe following the promotion decisions of those three officers, DPM reported.
"The promotional appointments were hand selected by the City Manager without the support of the administrative staff, and the Chief of Police was ordered to secrecy," a union representative said in a statement, according to WDEL.
Tim Mullaney, Senior Division of Labor Services Representative with the National Fraternal Order of Police, said that the agreement speaks to the effectiveness of the FOP.
"Any time you have an organized voice for any type of employee, I think it's always constructive to be able to speak as one," he said in a statement.
"In the spirit of cooperation, we [found] out ways that we could deal with, specifically, the grievance, as well as the morale of the police department."
The city plans to review its promotion policies to make them clearer for the future.
The three officers are eligible for future promotions, and council will consider possible compensation for the temporary changes in rank and pay. The mayor said the deal between the town and the police department shows a commitment to following procedure in the promotion process.
"I believe that builds trust, so that should any issue in the future come up, before it gets escalated to the level of grievance, perhaps the problem could be addressed," she said.
Marasco also confirmed that a separate, confidential grievance has been filed, but it is unrelated to this case.
In June, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) filed a grievance in June, saying that the promotions of three officers violated the union contract, according to a report from CoastTV. Marcos said the issue was not about the officers' performance, adding, "It was really about following procedures."
"There were some past practices that became how things were done that weren't always in alignment with policy," she said.
"Council was really strong about saying we've got to adhere to the written policies. If those policies need to be changed, they can be, but they have to be done procedurally correctly. When you change police policy, you do it in consultation with the union, which is our commitment going forward."
The complaint that was filed over the summer accompanied a vote of no confidence in Lewes City Manager Ellen McCabe following the promotion decisions of those three officers, DPM reported.
"The promotional appointments were hand selected by the City Manager without the support of the administrative staff, and the Chief of Police was ordered to secrecy," a union representative said in a statement, according to WDEL.
Tim Mullaney, Senior Division of Labor Services Representative with the National Fraternal Order of Police, said that the agreement speaks to the effectiveness of the FOP.
"Any time you have an organized voice for any type of employee, I think it's always constructive to be able to speak as one," he said in a statement.
"In the spirit of cooperation, we [found] out ways that we could deal with, specifically, the grievance, as well as the morale of the police department."
The city plans to review its promotion policies to make them clearer for the future.
The three officers are eligible for future promotions, and council will consider possible compensation for the temporary changes in rank and pay. The mayor said the deal between the town and the police department shows a commitment to following procedure in the promotion process.
"I believe that builds trust, so that should any issue in the future come up, before it gets escalated to the level of grievance, perhaps the problem could be addressed," she said.
Marasco also confirmed that a separate, confidential grievance has been filed, but it is unrelated to this case.
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