by Leah Justice
leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

More than 50 local residents packed the Tryon Fire Department last week with most telling council horror stories of recent police stops in town. The word “overzealous” was used many times and a petition asking the town to change its policies or take down its “Friendliest Town in the South” sign is circulating.

Tryon council met Tuesday, Oct. 21 and heard mostly complaints about the police department for approximately an hour. While a few praised the police department many others said officers follow people so closely they can’t see the headlights behind them.

The meeting was standing room only with residents literally spilling out in the open doorway.

One of the owners of McGourty’s Pub, Chris Balliew began comments reading a petition he said already had 200 signatures as of last week. The petition is titled, “Petition to address harassment and overzealousness of the police in Tryon.”

“Due to the overwhelming instances of not only residents of the town and local area of Tryon, but also visitors to the town being stopped, searched, followed out of town, going through excessive license checks, etc., we respectfully ask you to take into consideration the undersigned petitioners’ request to review and adjust the Town of Tryon’s policies and procedures regarding these excessive circumstances,” states the petition.

Balliew continued to read the petition, saying, “Tryon’s reputation is at stake and the actions of the police are bordering in the public mind as harassment. The sign on the edge of town states, ‘Welcome to the Friendliest Town in the South.’ If we are not going to live up to this commitment at the municipal level – the public face of our town, let’s take the signs down.”

Balliew said he plans to bring the petition to council’s November meeting.

Catherine Nelon said her family has been pulled over five times in less than a year. Each time being pulled over for crossing the yellow line, she said her son has been patted down and had his car searched several times.

Patricia Rodriguez said she was stopped and had to do a breathalyzer four times. She said police are here to serve but she thinks at this point their ego is very big.

Joyce Kimpton encouraged the police to do their job. Kimpton’s husband was killed on U.S. 176 just over the state line in 2004 when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit him head on.

“I don’t care how many times the police pull somebody over, if they can prevent somebody else going through what my family went through, let them pull me over,” said Kimpton. “I gladly go through every checkpoint that’s around. I’m not doing anything wrong. If you’re not doing anything wrong, you’re not going to get a ticket.”

Kimpton thanked the police department for doing what they do; “you’re job. What we pay you to do.”

Theresa Allen said she had family members who visited and were pulled over leaving. They do not drink, she said, but were given a breathalyzer.

“They found nothing in their vehicle but they were scared,” Allen said. “I appreciate what the lady (Kimpton) said and I do think they have a job to do, but they don’t have to be so hateful and scare people out of their minds.”

Joy Sharp said being pulled over in Tryon, “is like a daily occurrence for our family. Seriously.”

She spoke of one occurrence where her 18-year old son didn’t have his license on him and had to sit in court all day amongst drug dealers just to show his license and leave.

“Every morning when I leave for work I see the Tryon Police Department just waiting to pull people over on their way to work,” said Sharp.

Sharp also said she’s been pulled over in her own driveway more times than she can count.

“These are not our servants,” Sharp said. “They are not working for us. They’re terrorizing us.”

Harold Burrell said at one time there was an officer who would walk the streets and come into his office and ask if everything was all right, if his business needed anything. That’s not the case anymore, as Burrell told of several occurrences he knew of, including a family of 15 on their way to Sidestreet who said they would not come back. Burrell also said he has a hard time doing business when his customers can’t leave the parking lot for an officer sitting there on private property.

Burrell also said Tryon’s female officer is better than anything the department’s ever had and the town better thank God they have her and better start looking for more people like her or businesses and residents, including himself, will go somewhere else.

Tryon Movie Theater owner Barry Flood said he’s had a number of former customers say they have stopped coming because they are afraid of the Tryon Police Department. Flood said the department has a good group of officers, but the newer hires are giving the police department the same reputation as Columbus, Landrum and Campobello.

Kathy Sitton told of the police following her daughter a few miles and finding her tag light was out. Sitton said the police officer told her daughter to call someone to get the truck. When Sitton’s husband went to the scene an officer got his gun and told him to stop, saying he was interrupting his crime scene. Then Sitton said the dogs were called in and they tore up the truck, scratched the doors, “and there’s nothing there.”

The audience gasp when Sitton said her daughter was then taken to the police station where she was strip-searched.

Sly Fox Boutique owner Megan Hill said she has many connections to the Tryon International Equestrian Center and people from there won’t come to Tryon due to the police department.

“I’ve been open for six weeks and I cannot get people I have known for 20 years to come into my store,” said Hill. “Landrum is slammed packed on Sunday night. The equestrian facility-everybody has the day off on Monday. Nobody is coming into Tryon.”

Mary Prioleau said the exact opposite about Tryon’s police force. She said she’s been pulled over once in Tryon and deserved it and they were very nice. She also said her store was broken into and she couldn’t have asked for more help than officers gave her. She said she is getting new people into her store from the new equestrian center.

John Davis said he doesn’t think anyone is saying the police department doesn’t do their job as far as investigating crimes, “it’s the overzealous harassment of pulling people over. I don’t care when I get pulled over, I really don’t. But when I blow a zero, leave me alone. Leave me alone. If I don’t smell like alcohol, why do you have to do that anyway?”

Robert Maxwell said just the number of people at the meeting speaks volumes. He said, “we’re not a bunch of outlaws,” “not a bunch of meth dealers.” Maxwell said he hears it over and over again, there’s a tremendous fear of the police. He said when he’s been stopped in Tryon the officer has had a real hostile attitude.

“It just doesn’t seem right in such a great town,” Maxwell said.

Tryon Police Chief Jeff Arrowood, who was not at the meeting because he was in training in Chapel Hill last week, said he has only had two complaints in recent months and encourages people to come to him when they have a complaint about his department.

Arrowood said he is going to review all the concerns made at last week’s meeting and plans to give a report to council at its November meeting.

Arrowood said 4,000-6,000 cars come through Tryon on a daily basis, according to traffic counts.

During the month of August, Tryon officers stopped 118 cars, issued 37 citations, gave 37 written warnings, 44 verbal warnings and made five arrests for driving violations. There was one driving while impaired (DWI) arrest made in August, one DWI in July and four DWIs in June, according to Tryon’s monthly reports.

During the meeting, commissioner Roy Miller said there’s the enforcement side of law enforcement but there’s also community policing. He said the community policing is the part missing in Tryon.

“What we have now is a room full of people who are saying the police department is overzealous,” Miller said. “We as a town have to find those answers.”

Miller said his hope is that Tryon doesn’t have a place where people are getting stopped and harassed and profiled. He also said he’s a commissioner and doesn’t know all the officers.

Commissioner Bill Ingham said he can only name three officers.

Tryon Mayor Jim Wright thanked the speakers for doing a good job. He said four officers were present at the meeting to hear what residents had to say. Wright said council supports the people who do their job.

“Thank you for your feedback and we’ll talk about what should be done,” said Wright.

Following the meeting the mayor met with some who raised concern last week and another meeting was being planned to include the police chief and town manager. Tryon council is scheduled to meet again on Tuesday, Nov. 18.