Will Peebles
Savannah Morning News
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A group of 77 members of the Savannah Police Department, including the captains of all four precincts, have signed a statement of workplace conflict with 22 complaints against Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter.
The undated letter, sent to the city of Savannah’s Human Resources Department, includes claims of favoritism, public embarrassment and “outright disrespect” shown by Minter between August 2018 -- when Minter first took the reins of the department -- and the present.
The names of Northwest Precinct Capt. Cary Hill, Southside Precinct Capt. Michelle Halford, Eastside Precinct Capt. George Gundich and Central Precinct Capt. Tonya Reid appear among the 77 staffers who signed the complaint. Lieutenants, sergeants, corporals, patrol officers and detectives are among the names on the list.
The complaints claim Minter issued “a series of threats aimed at members of command staff and supervisors of units in group settings.”
These alleged threats included removal from rank, command, units and were “placed as a warning to all to not disappoint him and implant fear in the rank and file,” the complaints said.
Also included were complaints that Minter used “intimidation and admonishing to instill embarrassment as a toll and instill his power in numerous meetings where officers, supervisors and commanders were publicly belittled in front of peers and subordinates.”
The complaints include “outright disrespect shown to members of staff, which leads to dissenting and an overwhelming distancing by members of the department to remain out of the target zone.”
The complaints said Minter showed favoritism to some staff members, inducing “favoritism in the levels of promotion and specialized positions,” creating positions “for loyalty instead of skill” and that “those of skill [were] removed from positions to make way for those of favor.”
The complaints accused Minter of having a “selective open door policy,” which limited some officers from communicating issues with the chief, whereas others had unlimited access.
Included in the document were accusations of inconsistent punishment levels for similar violations through the department’s Office of Professional Standards. The office handles internal investigations and recruiting for the department, and the letter accuses Minter of the office now operating “with the Chiefs absolute control,” saying he relieved the office “of all counter balances of leadership.”
anced himself from responsibility in decisions regarding promotions, transfers and policies. “A refusal to put his name to decisions that affect the department as a whole to avoid liability or blame,” it said.
The claims cite Minter’s “failure to act in chaotic situations,” and said he doesn’t assume control over issues and “attacks decisions at a later time.”
Also included were claims that Minter gave untrue statement to the public, politicians, media and employees in regards to the “effectiveness, strategies, morale, manpower and readiness of the department,” though the letter does not include the specific statements to which the signees refer.
Interim City Manager Pat Monahan said Wednesday, April 22, that any HR claim filed in the city begins with an attempt to get the parties together and have them work out an agreement between themselves, without going through any of the formal processes, including mediation.
Monahan did not address the complaint filed against Minter directly, but outlined the city’s dispute resolution process.
Monahan said if there are multiple employees and supervisors involved with an HR complaint, the city would seek outside assistance “to ensure the process remains fair and impartial.”
“Employees need to be interviewed,” Monahan said. “They need to be given the opportunity to be heard. And if the complaint involves a large number of employees, then that involves a rather exhaustive amount of time to interview employees to find out the particulars, the facts, maybe even date the situations in which the complaint occurred.”
Monahan said the HR department initially does fact-finding on their own, as outside assistance costs the city money.
“At some point, depending on the number of complaints, the outside assistance will be brought in to continue the fact-finding and then perhaps even make a recommendation,” Monahan said.
Time is of the essence in HR situations, as lingering issues can undermine trust and confidence between employees.
“It is our desire to try to get these matters resolved as quickly as possible, and I’m not talking about any specific case, I’m just speaking in general,” Monahan said.
Ultimately, the final decision in any HR complaint falls on Monahan, who, as city manager, can fire any at-will city employee from their position for any reason. In Savannah, department heads are considered at-will employees.
“I’ve always followed the process,” Monahan said. “I do believe in measured discipline and going through the steps of discipline that usually starts with a verbal warning, and then written warnings and then corrective behavior plans, of course, depending on the circumstances.”