Former Columbus Police Chief Joseph St. John has resigned from the Columbus-Lowndes E911 board.
Lowndes E911 Director Sheri Fancher confirmed that St. John resigned Sunday via email.
Fancher provided the email St. John sent to her. In the email, St. John briefly explains his reasons by saying, “I will need all my time to focus on current projects.”
St. John followed up and explained that he wants to become involved in the community but not to one particular group.
“It’s just getting back involved without necessarily being beholden to anyone or anything,” St. John said via telephone interview. “Just get involved in the community and get out and see what is going on, not only the city and county thing.
“If I can speak out about something that I see or hear about, I don’t want to be in a conflict of interest (by being part of any one group) … I don’t want to be able to have any conflict when I do want to say things that I see in the community.”
St. John was a District 5 appointee, and Lowndes County District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks said the process of searching for a replacement will begin soon.
“(Tuesday) was the first time that I had seen something in writing from him,” Lowndes County District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks said, noting the supervisors will meet Friday. “We’ll probably make it official and accept his resignation.”
According to board of supervisors President Harry Sanders, whenever there is a vacancy, there is a two-week advertising period to allow applications to roll in. Then the supervisors will choose a replacement.
Sanders said the usual process for selecting board members is to heed the advice of that district’s supervisor and accept his recommendation.
Sanders said there is not a requirement that the person selected is from that specific district but selections “usually are” of residents within the district. Sanders also said there are no requirements for emergency response experience to become an E911 board member.
“You can have anybody in the world,” he said.
The Columbus City Council fired St. John in July from his post as police chief. St. John was suspended after he called in sick last minute to a June 17 Civil Service Commission hearing, where he was scheduled to testify against two officers who were appealing their own suspensions. According to several reports, St. John was ordered the evening of June 17 to take an alcohol test at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle and tested positive.
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