RULEVILLE'S NEW TOP COP IS COMING UNDER FIRE BY THE NAACP AND CONCERNED CITIZENS.
IN A 3 TO 2 VOTE, THE RULEVILLE BOARD OF ALDERMEN APPOINTED ERNIE SCARBER AS CHIEF OF POLICE THREE WEEKS AGO
AFTER SERVING AS AN OFFICER FOR SIX MONTHS. HOWEVER, RILEY RICE, SECOND V.P. OF SUNFLOWER COUNTY NAACP AND CONCERNED CITIZENS OF RULEVILLE QUESTION SCARBER'S CAPABILITIES BECAUSE OF PAST MEDIA REPORTS. ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, SCARBER WAS FIRED FROM THE COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT IN JANUARY OF 2004. FOLLOWING A SUSPENSION AFTER HE ALLEGEDLY SHOT HIMSELF IN THE CHEST WHEN LOWNDES COUNTY DEPUTIES TRIED TO EVICT HIM FROM HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND'S HOME. CITY ATTORNEY THOMAS G. WALLACE TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THAT THE COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL FIRED SCARBER BECAUSE HE HAD NOT ONLY DISOBEYED ORDERS TO STAY AWAY FROM HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND BUT HAD STALKED AND HARRASSED HER AS WELL. WALLACE SAID THE COUNCIL FURTHER FOUND SCARBER WAS PSYCHOLOGICALLY UNFIT FOR HIS DUTIES AFTER REVIEWING REPORTS FROM TWO PSYCHOLOGISTS. THEN IN 2007, SEVERAL MEDIA OUTLETS IN JACKSON REPORTED ON THE CONCERNED CITIZENS OF FLORA BOYCOTTING BUSINESSES BECAUSE OF ALLEGED RACIAL PROFILING. DESPITE NO AUDIO OR VIDEO EVIDENCE, THEN FLORA MAYOR SCOTT GREAVES SAID QUOTE CONCERNS OF RESIDENTS AND OTHER CONCERNS THROUGHOUT TOWN AND IN THE DEPARTMENT CAME TO A HEAD, AND WE ASKED CHIEF SCARBER TO STEP DOWN AND HE DID. END QUOTE . ABC SIX NEWS SPOKE WITH RULEVILLE'S CITY ATTORNEY DANNY GRIFFIN THIS AFTERNOON ABOUT THE NAACP'S AND CONCERNED CITIZENS OF RULEVILLE CONCERNS ABOUT SCARBER'S PAST. HE TOLD US QUOTE THE CITY WENT THROUGH A PRETTY EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS AND THE PROCESS CLEARED THE OFFICER AS A SUITABLE CANDIDATE." THE NAACP OF SUNFLOWER COUNTY AND CONCERNED CITIZENS OF RULEVILLE WILL HOLD A MEETING THIS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 24TH AT THE COMMUNITY HOUSE IN RULEVILLE AT 7 O-CLOCK TO DETERMINE WHAT ACTIONS CAN BE TAKEN. I SPOKE WITH CHIEF ERNIE SCARBER THIS AFTERNOON, WHO DIDN'T WANT TO ISSUE A COMMENT, BUT INVITED WABG TO VISIT HIM ANYTIME.