WBTV "CMPD Officers Say Morale Is Low and Distrust Is High

You think?

For months Cedar Posts has been telling WBTV yappers and talking heads like Sharon Smith that they should be asking hard questions of Rodney Monroe. Instead they have Brigetta Mack interview Chief Monroe in what turns out to be a "love fest". Apparently now that Chief Monroe is gone some are asking the boots on the street.

From WBTV:        

From the moment Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Officer Randall Kerrick was charged in the death of Jonathan Ferrell, some police officers expressed concerns that the department moved too quickly to file criminal charges. 

Now, 23 months after the shooting - and with the jury deliberating - some officers say morale is low and distrust is high. WBTV talked with some officers who say there's a strong feeling that the department sacrificed an officer when they charged Kerrick, and some are angry with the command staff for taking action before all the facts were known.  

"That can be said of anything that's going on - whether it's an internal investigation or criminal investigation - you're always going to have a group of officers that are going to question command, always going to question their supervisors," said Todd Walther of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). "You're going to have some that are going to question it. Some are still positive that we have the right people in the right places."

CMPD declined WBTV's request for an interview.

Some officers, who don't want to be identified because they're afraid supervisors will retaliate, believe there was an abuse of authority and a rush to judgment when Kerrick was charged hours after the shooting in 2013. Some say they now don't trust their supervisors. 

Walther, of the FOP, said, "We know that is a strong community and whether it's divided by a few outsiders, we'll still come together."

During the trial, several officers took the stand. Some testified for the defense, others for the state. 

The jury will resume deliberations Wednesday morning. Officers are watching closely.
"I can speak for the FOP, our membership," Walther said. "Everybody is on pins and needles - anxious. We're still confident. We still are here to support the Kerrick family and Wes Kerrick."

On the streets, some officers are wondering whether they have the support of the command staff.

They're concerned that if they do their jobs and residents complain - will the department support them or abandon them? 

Police sources say officers are hoping Chief Kerr Putney will address their concerns. But they say they're watching to see how the command staff reacts if there's a verdict that leads to backlash and protests.