Video: Verona’s Top Law Enforcement Officer Claims Some City Officials Interfering With His Job

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VERONA, Miss. (WCBI) — Two months ago, the city of Verona hired a new police chief. Now, they may be searching for a new top cop. This all comes after a contentious meeting Thursday evening with the police chief and the Board of Aldermen.

Bill Johnson took a few minutes on Good Friday afternoon to walk his dog at his Amory home. He had been fielding calls from friends and members of the media all day about a meeting between himself and the Verona board of aldermen the night before.

Johnson was hired in February as Verona’s Police Chief. He came to the small department with more than two decades of law enforcement experience in Homeland Security, the U S Treasury and Office of Inspector General.

Johnson claims he was given the go ahead to make needed changes, such as hiring more officers, but shortly after he took the job Johnson says some board members pushed back. He says one alderman wanted to interview potential police officers, without the chief present.

“She said, ‘you don’t interview them, we do the interviews.” I said, well you said you wanted to hire the chief first , and so I could be part of the interview process, she said, ‘the board does the hiring, the board does the firing, we hire who we want,” Johnson explained.

Johnson says he wanted to hire an officer to serve old warrants, which all together totaled more than half a million dollars, but was met with resistance from the board.

Finally, during a closed meeting at city hall Thursday evening, Johnson says things came to a head and he addressed the board.

“You’re not willing to change, you don’t want that change, and you want somebody who is going to do everything you want. I said, I’m not that man and if that’s what you want, then you need to find someone else. I didn’t physically say I resign but I said you need to find someone else. I put the ball in their court,” Johnson recalled.

Verona Mayor Robert Trice says he was surprised at the chief’s actions during the meeting.

“He was very frustrated, he asked us to take that as his verbal resignation,” Mayor Trice said.

Trice says Johnson’s work ethic was not in question.

“You have to work with the board, it’s a team effort,” Trice said.

Johnson says he is willing to stay on board, if he is given more freedom to run the police department. If that doesn’t happen, the search will be on soon for a new chief.

Sources say Johnson was the eighth police chief in Verona in 12 years.

Johnson’s status is unclear. He says he didn’t officially resign, but Mayor Trice claims Johnson gave a verbal resignation during the closed meeting.