This article was originally published in The Examiner on Nov. 23, 2017.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
Port Arthur Police Chief Patrick Melvin issued a response Sunday, Nov. 19 to the police union’s recent no-confidence vote against him.
Eighty-five percent of the Port Arthur Police Union’s members who participated voted “no” in an online poll conducted between Oct. 27 and Nov. 6, the Port Arthur Police Association announced in a news release Nov. 6.
The vote was anonymous and asked for yes or no responses to the following question: “As a Port Arthur Police Officer, do you have confidence in the police chief, and the administration he has put in place, to effectively and efficiently manage the department in a manner that promotes a good working environment among officers, provides leadership to officers, and provides the citi-ens of Port Arthur the services and protection they deserve?”
In his letter responding to the vote, Melvin said he believes the changes he is making are being met with opposition, citing steps toward greater accountability, his “no profanity” policy and revising 20-year-old department protocols as examples of the changes he made as police chief.
The Port Arthur Police Association criticized an earlier statement from Melvin, accusing him Nov. 9 of plagiarizing from Denver Police Chief Robert White’s statement responding to his own no-confidence vote, published in the Denver Post Oct. 24.
The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) released a letter Nov. 8 stating the organization supports the Port Arthur Police Association, its affiliate, in “its recent condemnation” of Melvin.
“It is highly unusual in Texas for a law enforcement association to take such a step,” CLEAT said in their letter.
Eleanor Skelton 