Former Sardis Police Chief resigned over officers’ pay

Alan Selph
·2 min read

SARDIS, Miss. — The former chief of police for Sardis, Mississippi, reportedly departed after a pay dispute.

According to the Panolian newspaper, former Sardis Police Chief Chris Franklin expressed his concerns about low wages in his resignation letter. Sardis Police officers make $17 an hour.

“I will be resigning from the Sardis Police Department. Due to the lack of funding, it has become impossible to safely staff the police department and keep the citizens safe,” Franklin wrote.

Chief John Lantern has taken over since Franklin’s departure. In addition to Franklin’s resignation, two more officers also departed, leaving Sardis with just four full-time officers to serve the town.

Sardis Mayor Richard McCarty says it shouldn’t all be about money.

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“We have some good police officers, putting their lives on the line every day for what they do. Is it enough? No, it would never be enough,” McCarty said. “Today they are making $17 an hour, that’s not including their benefits. Our full-time officers, depending on where they live, they get to take their vehicles home, so that adds to what they are making.”

Carol Lewis moved from Chicago to Sardis. She says some parts of the town need more police attention.

“Sardis is a small town. I thought I was moving to something quiet and relaxing, but you still got shootings!” she said.

Lewis is on board with the idea of giving officers a raise.

“They should get paid more money because they are out here, and it is some nut cases out here that will stand behind some bushes and shoot at you,” Lewis said.

McCarty says that the pay increase in neighboring towns makes it hard to retain police as they can earn more just a short distance away.

McCarty told WREG that since Lantern took over, no major crimes have occurred. McCarty added that the Panola County Sheriff’s Department helps with security at night.

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