Mamou Police Chief to resign

After alluding to it during Monday’s special meeting of the Mamou Town Council, Police Chief Robert McGee confirmed that he is meeting with his lawyer to discuss his resignation from the position he won in the 2014 election.
“I am meeting with my attorney to discuss the timing of my resignation,” McGee told The Gazette after the meeting in the lobby of the Town Hall. “I don’t have to resign; it’s my choice. But, he tells me it would be better for me if I did.”
McGee is the subject of a Department of Justice and FBI civil rights investigation into the use of electric stun guns on inmates being held in the Mamou jail five years ago, when he was a patrolman.
Video of McGee using the Taser on two inmates surfaced in December last year, as he was in a run-off for police chief. Nevertheless, he won the election, defeating Katina Richard, who had been serving as assistant police chief.
McGee acknowledged to The Gazette that he used the stun guns, saying that the inmates were disruptive. He said that he documented his use of the Taser each time, recording it in his nightly reports. He said that then-chief Greg Dupuis did not mention to him that he could not subdue the inmates like that. He turned over that documentation to the FBI on a flash drive.
The resignation announcement after the meeting was news to Mayor Ricky Fontenot. Although McGee confirmed the rumors of his resignation after the meeting, the topic came up during the meeting in a way that was only hinted at. At one point of the meeting, Fontenot commented that as far as he knew, McGee was chief until he heard otherwise.
The special meeting was called to act on three personnel recommendations from McGee. One of the recommendations was ostensibly the appointment of Cpt. Stephanie Ortego as administrative assistant. Ortego is a 20-plus year veteran dispatcher.
When McGee took office in January, he dissolved the position of assistant chief, which was being held by his opponent, Katina Richard. At the time, he said that he needed to evaluate the department and “get some things straightened out,” noting that Ortego could fill in for any administrative duties that arose during his absence.
Although Richard was removed from that position, she continues to work in the department.
In recent months, Ortego has appeared before the Council in McGee’s place, giving police reports and making recommendations in his behalf. Each time, McGee would issue a letter granting her permission to carry out that function.
Monday night’s formal assignment by the Council would eliminate McGee having to give permission for any future absences from the department, for example, “if I choose to resign” McGee said at one point.
During discussion of the recommendation, Richard’s brother, Terry Lee Richard, questioned the idea of awarding the position to Ortego. Richard said that his sister is more qualified for the position.
“How can you justify saying Stephanie can take your place,” Richard asked, “because she’s never done your work?
“There is a vendetta y’all have against (Katina),” he continued. “It’s not fair in the eyes of God. Whatever weapon y’all are forming against her will not prosper. This is not being done fairly and isn’t right.”
In another not-so-oblique reference to McGee’s possible resignation, Councilwoman Leisa Deshotel told Richard the Council’s decision wasn’t about personal motives. Rather, Deshotel said, Katina Richard may be campaigning for police chief in a few months.
Deshotel said that during such a campaign, whoever is filling the interim chief position needs to be concentrating on shoring up the department, not politicking.
Mayor Ricky Fontenot interjected that, as far as he knew, McGee was still police chief.
“I haven’t heard from anybody that we won’t have a police chief,” Fontenot said. “As long as Robert is chief, we’ll act on his recommendations.”
The Council unanimously approved the recommendation. Voting in favor were Leisa Deshotel, Robin Young, and Jessica Fontenot. Two aldermen, Freddie Matthew and Charles Reed, were absent.
After the meeting, Fontenot was informed by The Gazette that McGee is planning on resigning. The mayor said that he, like others, had heard rumors, but that those rumors had never been confirmed by McGee or anyone else.
“I’ve never asked him about resigning” or the investigation, Fontenot said, figuring that McGee would let him and the Council know when he was ready.
McGee told The Gazette that he would have press release when he officially announces his resignation.
In other business, the short-handed Council approved hiring Sebastian Noel as a part-time patrolman. It also approved reducing Lt. Latasha Douget from full-time records clerk to part-time. The move comes because Douget is returning to school and cannot work full-time. Her pay will be reduced accordingly.