Tatum Council terminates Police Chief on grounds of dereliction of duty

The Henderson News
By Amber Lollar Managing Editor
Nov 16, 2022

Acting on multiple citizen complaints against newly-hired Police Chief Jack Lanier, Tatum City Council voted to terminate him, effective immediately, on the grounds of dereliction of duty in Monday’s regularly called City Council meeting. 

Minus council members Dana Buddecke and a tardy Tate Smith, Mayor Don Hall, and the available council discussed a particular complaint made against Lanier as City Attorney Joe Shumate advised that the remainder be left to Open Records Requests for those interested. According to the formal complaint filed by the staff of Elizabeth Breedlove Family Practice & Aesthetics PLLC who allege they called the Tatum Police Department requesting assistance with an erratic patient. Staff claimed the patient mentioned being off his medication and threatened to hurt or kill people. They later explained that while the patient had left the clinic he had an appointment to return later in the day and they hoped to have police on hand out of concern for the safety of clinic staff. 

According to the complaint, Lanier never responded to the call. When asked in a previously held informal meeting why he never responded, he explained that he was “waiting to get that phone call”, handling a call from the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, and monitoring traffic. 

Utilizing the GPS tracking system installed on the TPD vehicle and questioning RCSO dispatch, the Mayor and Council were able to determine that Lanier was not assisting RCSO but was, in fact, parked near an intersection observing traffic during the time frame the clinic requested assistance. 

The next day it is alleged that Lanier entered the incorrect medical clinic and declared he was looking to “mend fences” and informed the staff that they should tell their alderman that the Police Department needed more help. 

“To me, that’s appalling,” said Mayor Hall. “I think the city should terminate him.” 

Also called into question was Lanier’s creation of a city account with Interstate Battery in Longview, without approval from city officials and his use of the TPD vehicle to make a personal trip to Tyler to visit his attorney. 

When asked if he wished to speak in his defense Lanier’s attorney Morgan Biggs of the Biggs and Greenslade law firm expressed that his client wished to decline comment until formal disciplinary action was issued. 

Councilman Kim Smith motioned to terminate Lanier, effective immediately. The motion was seconded and votes in its favor were unanimous. 

In light of the council’s previous motion, the agenda item requesting a pay increase for officer Bobby Jones elicited outbursts from the gallery asking that his $21/hour wages be increased to $25. Council opinions from around the dais all agreed that Jones is a deserving candidate and a diligent worker with Mayor Hall adding that he never complains in the face of his duties stating, “He does work his butt off.” 

The council motioned to increase Jones’s hourly pay to $23/hour with possible further adjustment in the next budget session. 

The council heard and voted to approve City Secretary Stormy Rodriguez’s request to adjust the hours of City Hall to 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. The change will accommodate the city staff’s ability to manage parental responsibilities but also extend the afternoon time frame citizens have to access the office. The adjustment will begin in January. 

Rodriguez also came before the council to recommend they consider rewriting the general policies of the city to achieve clarification. Among the rewrite, she recommended revisiting the list of available job descriptions for city employees which could affect the pay scale and vacation allotment for some currently holding city positions. 

Council determined that a committee should be formed to address needed changes and the items were tabled. 

A regularly appearing agenda item was tabled once again as the council requested more pricing and plan information for an Emergency Alert System so city officials might alert residents to specific issues in a quick and effective manner. With options ranging from $2,400 to $2,800, Rodriguez was asked to contact school officials to compare their alert system to the choices made available. 

Tatum resident and wife to Mayor Hall, Nakita Hall addressed her perceived lack of available options with information about Austin-based AlertMedia which claims to have been ranked the #1 mass media alert system and offers a free trial for their services. 

Hall’s outburst left Rodriguez questioning when, or if, Hall intended to present that information to her so she could share it with the council. 

Council, with the late addition of councilman Tate Smith, discussed the continued parking of large trucks at the Exxon station despite a city ordinance disallowing these vehicles to travel on city streets. While acknowledging the city’s wasted $8,000 investment into fixing the streets surrounding the station’s parking lot, Councilman Kim Smith defended the needs of the drivers stating, “If it got here, a truck brought it.” The council recognized the damage to the streets and even the ordinance violation but also acknowledged the lack of parking available within the city.

The item was tabled with Mayor Hall asserting he would speak to the owners of the Exxon station to determine what could be done to diminish the damage and complaints surrounding the large-vehicle parking.