Sheriff suggests town should consider dissolving police force
Andrews – Lucky number seven. Town aldermen appointed a new police chief at the March 9 meeting, making Colin Gillespie the seventh person to lead the department in the past three years.
“I’m not looking to leave; I’m not looking to switch departments,” the rookie chief said. “Me and my wife bought a house here.”
Gillespie, 25, was born and raised in Andrews. He graduated from Andrews High School in 2014 after being a running back for the Wildcats all four years. He also participated in track all four years of high school, plus was a member of the baseball and basketball teams for three years.
Gillespie attended Western Carolina University after high school and enrolled in Basic Law Enforcement Training in 2018. After the academy, he worked for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for about a year before joining Andrews Police Department as an officer.
“I wouldn’t say age really matters,” Gillespie said when asked to respond to critics who may say he is too young to be a police chief. “What matters is how involved you are in the community, how well you answer the calls and if you’re there for the people when they need you.”
In response to critics who may say he lacks administrative and investigative experience Gillespie said the best officers learn something new every day, regardless of how long they’ve worn the uniform.
“When I talk to people who have 20 plus years on the job, they say, ‘If you have a day where you’re not learning something, it’s time to get out of it,’ ” Gillespie recalled. “Each day, you learn something new, whether you’ve been in it for two days or 25 years.”
Police retention in Andrews has been a problem for a number of years, and Gillespie hopes to hire additional personnel in the coming months. The department today has four full-time openings and may have to seek part-time assistance from officers employed by nearby agencies if Gillespie cannot fill at least some of the positions.
The department’s lack of personnel has resulted in a need for assistance from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office to regularly cover overnight shifts and answer non-emergency calls within town limits, which recently caused friction between the two agencies.
“In my entire career, I do not recall a time that the sheriff’s office has been expected to cover non-emergency calls in the city limits of Murphy due to lack of patrol efforts from the police department,” Sheriff Derrick Palmer wrote in a letter to Andrews officials last week. “However, this seems to be a reoccurring event in the Town of Andrews over the course of several years and while multiple chiefs have come and gone.”
Palmer’s letter expresses hope that Andrews will overcome issues preventing the town from hiring and retaining a full staff of police officers. However, the letter suggests that town officials should consider dissolving the police department if they cannot accomplish the task.
“If the town is unable to find solutions to adhere to the responsibility of having a police department, conversations should be had between the town and county governments of having the sheriff’s office absorb that responsibility,” Palmer wrote. “With those discussions would come one of finance and resources to be had with county and town leadership. If this is a discussion that town government desires to have, I will be happy to facilitate a meeting with representatives of town and county government.”
The letter, obtained by the Cherokee Scout, explains that the sheriff’s office is only budgeted to cover calls outside of town limits.
“Our lawful duties are the security of the courts, civil process and the operation of the detention center,” Palmer wrote, citing state law that says the county is only required to fund salaries for the sheriff and two deputies. “Our county manager and commission board has been gracious to give the sheriff’s office additional funding to cover 911 calls in the county. This budget is based on call volumes outside the city limits of Murphy and Andrews.”
However, Palmer said deputies will always respond to emergency calls, regardless of where they occur.
“If there is a major crime or persons in danger, those calls will be prioritized as appropriate and the sheriff’s office will respond along with any available law enforcement unit in the area,” he wrote. “We desire to help and will continue to help.”
Gillespie said the department has received an application from one person seeking full-time employment. He believes he can find additional staff.
“I think we can get some good guys in here, change a lot of stuff and get more involved in the community,” Gillespie said. “There’s been some ups and downs here at the police department, and I want to get a consistent schedule going.”
With the promotion, Gillespie’s pay rate increased from $18.50 per hour to $44,500 per year. In 90 days, his annual salary will increase to $52,000.