Minden,LA, Policeman Fired for Attending Republican Function

The Shreveport Times | 10-24-02 | Burton, Larry

[Theodore R.]

Fired Minden police officer to seek rehearing Civil service panel says attending political function was a violation of law

Larry Burton / The Times Posted on October 24, 2002

A Minden police officer who was fired for attending a reception/fund-raiser for a Republican candidate running for Bossier-Webster district attorney plans to seek reinstatement.

Former officer Kenneth Wallace will seek a rehearing before Minden's five-member Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board. The board unanimously found Wallace, 43, guilty Oct. 15 of violating state civil service law by attending the political function held this summer for Republican candidate Mike Boggs.

The Minden City Council fired the veteran officer this week. Termination is mandatory for such violations.

Wallace, though, maintains he isn't guilty.

Wallace's attorney contends Wallace didn't cross the line into politics - civil service employees, such as police officers, are legally restricted from doing so - when he attended the function held for Boggs on July 25 at a home in Bossier Parish.

Attorney Whit Graves said Wallace went to the event as a member of the Webster Parish NAACP's executive board. Wallace only stopped by there to talk to Boggs about attending a public forum that the Webster NAACP was working to schedule featuring all candidates for Bossier-Webster district attorney, Graves said.

"He didn't purchase a ticket to the function. He wasn't there campaigning for Boggs, didn't contribute money to his campaign. We believe Mr. Wallace's mere presence at the Boggs function was not a violation."

The chairman of Minden's civil service board said Wallace indeed violated civil service law by even being at the event. Tickets were sold to the function, even if Wallace didn't buy one, board Chairman Mike Hughes said.

"The law is pretty clear. The law prohibits civil service employees from attending political (functions) unless they are free and open to the public," said Hughes, who is also a Minden police officer.

Boggs, a Bossier City attorney, claimed the case against Wallace is unfair.

Boggs is facing Minden attorney Schuyler Marvin, a Democrat, in a Nov. 5 runoff for Bossier-Webster district attorney.

[Theodore R.]

Minden, though it flirted with Republicanism in the 1960s, is a heavily Democrat town located 30 miles east of the Democratic stronghold of Shreveport. Either there is political bias in the police department there, or this officer knowingly violated civil service procedures by attending a political function, irrespective of party. The question that lingers: would he have been dismissed had he attended a Democrat function?

[2banana]

I wonder where all those policepersons came from for all those Clinton photo-ops not so many years ago?

[cajun-jack]

my dad worked for LDOT for 21 yrs and was never allowed to have a bumper sticker or attend political rallies or anything of a political nature. I worked for La. Dept of Corr from 92-97 and it was the same way. No bumper stickers, no yard signs, can't attend political functions. How do they get away with this? I always thought it was communistic to tell a person they couldn't show support for a candidate of their choice. CFR is creating an outcry on violation of the 1st amendment...so where is the outcry from civil service employees being restricted from excercisng their right to free political speech??? Like all the other mind numb robots that work at low paying goobermint jobs, I was afraid to "buck" the system because i needed my job. p.s. I live only about 60 miles east on I-20 from Minden.

[TommyDale]

There is no mention of the race of the policeman, but since he serves on the executive board of the NAACP, I assume he is African-American. If that's the case, he was fired for being a black Republican!