By Troy Beasley

I am currently watching the Gaveston City Council meeting that occurred on Thursday, March 12. To say Im disgusted would be an understatement. The actions of Council Member Tarris Woods towards Police Chief Wiley is nothing short of an ongoing personal vendetta "witch hunt."

Mr. Woods keeps insinuating that he once was a Police Officer. I know he once was a Firefighter for the City of Galveston. Is there any way to determine of he actually WAS a Law Enforcement Officer? What is his agenda? What is he trying to prove? What is he trying to get to?

Yes, I do agree that the Galveston Police Department may have its problems. However, a witch hunt by one of the Council Members, with a history of being a disgruntled former City employee who sued the City itself, will not solve a complex problem who's roots go back a long way.

The road to the answer was being paved by the hiring of a Chief who made it his mission to make the Police Department one of the finest agencies around. Unfortunately, a large dip in that road came along September 13, 2008 in the form of one of the biggest natural disasters this Island has ever had to face. Now, that same Chief is faced with three homicides and a growing rash of major incidents with twenty sworn Officers short. Not to mention the fact that many essentials such as patrol cars and equipment were destroyed.

This same City Council member keeps asking the same questions meeting after meeting about "Community Policing" and "Community Relations." I would be willing to bet that Chief Wiley would love to be able to address these concerns. Instead, he has to face three watches of shifts with the possibility of less Officers, less patrol cars, less funds, and less cooperation from one member of Council. See a pattern? Less.

It would probably do Chief Wiley's heart good to be called to Council Meeting to hear that Councilman Woods has done some research and found a grant that would fund three more officers a day, or three more parol cars to respond to emergencies. Do any of us think that will happen? Probably not.

I cannot form an opinion on the actions of what occurred at H20 or the other cases in which the Police Department has been tarnished in the Media as I am not privy to BOTH sides of the story. I would hope the Citizens of Galveston would feel the same way.

In this time of rebuilding and reflection as the six month anniversary of Hurrican Ike's landfall is upon us, now is the time to stop and think. Do we really need devisivness among the elected officials who you elect to serve at the will of the citizens?

Should we not be more concerned that the Council be more united in the rebuilding of our community? Should we not be concerned that a small few wish to make their personal agenda known to the community as a whole and preserve their face time in front of a camera?

If the problems of the Galveston Police Department are not to your liking, remember who you elected to serve you. The one person who can make a change in leadership at the top is not a Council Member. It is the City Manager.

And take some personal responsibility in your own life. If you feel as though the Police cannot adequately protect you, the Lord above should have instilled within you the inate ablity for self preservation. And try and remember, your house, fence, and property did not make an overnight recovery from their problems. The Police Department cannot either.

Troy Beasley lives in Jamaica Beach