The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

August 23, 2012

Administrator/police chief position works in Pinetops

For The Daily Southerner Calvin Adkins

TARBORO — PINETOPS — Pinetops town administrator Greg Bethea is applying the adage of "If it's not broke, don't break it," to the now nearly four-year vacancy for the position of chief of police.

Bethea was appointed interim police chief and, in his dual role, has apparently pleased the town commissioners as he is serving in that capacity indefinitely.

Bethea replaced John Ruppe, who reportedly resigned abruptly as police chief after a conflict with town management.

"We're not in the process of looking for a chief at this time," Bethea said. "We may go back and revisit this one day but right now, we're not looking for a chief.

"This arrangement is different from other cities, but it works for us."

Bethea is not a certified law enforcement officers. Therefore his duties are to handle the department's administrative duties. Capt. James Cappelletti, is the highest ranking certified law enforcement officer who is also designated to work a shift.

Formerly, Pinetops chiefs specialized in administrative duties and rarely patrolled the town, Bethea said. Under the town's new system, it places an extra officer on the streets.

"Because of this, we're able to put more officers on the street and that's the most important thing," he said. "It's not how much manpower we have on the streets.

Pinetops mayor, J. Vines Cobb, spoke candidly about the unusual arrangement. He believes the new system has drastically improved the town's police department.  

"Our police department is not perfect, but this has been a plus," he said speaking about assigning Bethea as the interim police chief. "In the past we had problems solving cases because of reports that were not completed and our evidence room was not kept as it should have been. We found that we were lacking in several areas. Our (town) administrator did not know what was going on in the police department. That is what caused us to change our setup. He got involved so that he would know more about what is going on in the police department."

As the chief, Bethea is in charge of six full time officers and three reserves who serve 1,300 residents. Because of the small force, Pinetops depends on assistance from outside agencies.

"We work with Tarboro, Rocky Mount and the (Edgecombe County) sheriff's department," he said. "The sheriff's department is our best friend. We really thank them for all they do.

"I'm not sure how long we will continue to do this, but for the people who we have in place now, and the situation that we're in, it works."



 

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