Mayor Jess Green fired Police Chief John Durrant at 3:40 p.m. Friday and placed at least seven other police department employees on paid leave for unspecified reasons.
It didn't last.Seven hours later, the chief and the six officers and department secretary were reinstated and it was the mayor whose future was unclear.
In an emergency meeting at 10:30 p.m. Friday, the City Council, minus the mayor, voted to return his badge to Durrant. The council also voted to censure Green for firing Durrant without the council's consent.
"This city this evening has been put at risk by (Green)," said Councilman John McKinney. "He has created this situation in our community and then walked away from it."
Council members vowed to do everything possible to strip Green of his responsibilities for the remainder of his mayoral term, which expires Dec. 31. Green is seeking nomination for re-election in the Oct. 7 primary.
Dozens of residents showed up at the late night council meeting, complaining of Green's firing of the police chief.
Council member Clark Taylor apologized to Durrant and the seven police department employees for the mayor's action. Taylor pledged the council's support for the police department.
Friday afternoon, Green said he had fired Durrant and asked Utah County Sheriff David Bateman to temporarily take control of the city's 30-member police force. Green's surprise move was made without consulting the City Council.
Durrant has worked for the police department for 25 years, including the past 10 as chief. When reached at his home Friday after the firing, Durrant said he had no comment on the matter.
Green had intimated for 18 months that he wanted to fire Durrant. Recently, Green said publicly that he would fire the chief if Green won re-election this year. Exactly what precipitated the move Friday is unclear.
Friday afternoon, Green said only that he made the decision within the past week because an ongoing problem had recently gotten worse.
"The situation is just a furtherance of problems that already existed," Green said. "To me, it was untenable."
Green declined to discuss specific reasons for the firing. The leaves were necessary, Green said, to allow Bateman to stabilize the police force of this Utah County town of 20,000 residents.
One of the officers placed on leave was Lt. Terry Fox, who was involved in an altercation with Councilman George Brown - Green's lone ally on the City Council - in June. Brown was charged with disorderly conduct this month in connection with his role in the ruckus at City Hall, in which he allegedly browbeat several city employees and pushed Fox.
Green did not say that Durrant's firing was related to the incident between Brown and Fox. However, he told the Deseret News, "That particular case has really been messed up (by the police department)."
Before the council's meeting, Green acknowledged that council members might object to his action.
One way or the other, Green said, firing Durrant will bring to a head an ongoing battle between the two. Green and Durrant have a long history of conflict:
- Green overruled Durrant's decision to fire an officer in July 1996. Green also excluded Durrant from negotiations that led to the officer resigning in exchange for a settlement from the city of more than $6,000.
- Green objected to Durrant's effort last year to negotiate an employment contract with the city. Durrant wanted the city to guarantee it would pay his salary until he retires in six years, even if he were fired.
- In August, Durrant and rank-and-file officers filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Green, Wanlass and city attorney James Tucker Hansen over an alleged gag order issued to department employees. In the suit, Durrant claims Green began harassing him when the police chief investigated an accusation that Green had abused one of his teenage daughters.
- Green and Brown tried to fire Durrant during a February 1997 council meeting, but the rest of the City Council didn't go along and Durrant retained his job.
- Green released a "laundry list" of alleged misdeeds by police officers and mismanagement within the department earlier this year.
- Sheriff's deputies from Utah County were called for security during a May 1997 City Council meeting in which residents discussed Green's actions toward Durrant, among other things.
Green said he believes the mayor is the top law enforcement official in a city. Therefore, he said, he should have control and direction over Durrant's actions.
"I've had none of those things for a long time," Green said. "We've been in a situation that has been horrible."
Green said his firing of Durrant also will likely force state officials to clarify statutes of whether a mayor can fire a police chief without consent of city council members. An analogy used by Green conjures up images of the power struggles - including revolutions and countercoups - within Third World countries.
"Like in the military, if you do not have control of the armed force then I believe the armed force has potential to get out of control and act on their own," Green said.