Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊNorth Manchester is reverting to the traditional town marshal organizational system in its police department.
The North Manchester Town Council Thursday dissolved the unfilled public safety director position with a unanimous vote.
A committee of two councilmen, the town manager and a police officer will prepare the applicant requirements for filling the new town marshal post.
The council aims to fill the position in about 90 days.
The committee's meeting will not be open to the public, council president Don Rinearson said.
In his departmental analysis report, Dr. T. Neil Moore of Indiana Purdue University, Fort Wayne, said the structure of the public safety department was ineffective, leaving "confusing expectations amongst the line of officers."
The long-awaited report recognized a "sense of a negative turn (among police officers) as early as four years ago," Moore said.
The town abolished the town marshal structural system, adding the public safety director position four years ago.
Moore wrote: "Near unanimity was found in the perspective that the North Manchester Police Department lacked leadership and had a severe morale problem."
While interviewing the North Manchester police officers, Moore recognized the personnel as the "greatest strength."
"A hesitancy to go the extra mile," which suffered "in light of recent events," stood out as a caveat, though, he said.
The management styles of former public safety director Jack Fetrow and chief of police operations Linda L. Learned were diametrically opposed, Moore said.
Learned agreed with the analysis of the management styles.
"I am someone that follows policies and procedures," she said after the meeting. "I expect the same from the officers."
She said the council's decision was expected.
The town council sought Moore's analysis following an October incident of alleged insubordination against Learned by a former police officer.
Learned said she would be interested in applying for the town marshal position.
