Editor's Notebook: Single Sentencing

You should know that the other title I considered for this piece was "Bail to the Chief." I went with "Single Sentencing" instead, mainly because I wanted the title to be oblique until about the second to last sentence.

Springfield Police Chief William Chisholm's last day on the force was yesterday, April 1. I have been following Chisholm's career with the Springfield force since I launched Springfield Patch last November. The launch came two months after the Township's police union, PBA local 76, passed a no confidence vote in the chief to display the force's overwhelming sense of disapproval of the chief.

Then, soon after I started in Springfield, Springfield officials voted to create a Public Safety Officer position. The chief would report to the position; it was seen by many as a way to put the clamp down on Chisholm.

Seeing the potential for a series of great stories, I got excited about all of the tension caused by Chisholm. And as Township officials passed laws limiting his power and perks, I reported them.

Going back over the stories, there's something clearly missing from them: Chisholm himself. Early on, I called him for comment several times. I left messages, but never heard from him. Then, one day, after waiting to get his comments before running a story, I tried to reach him again. The woman who answered his phone told me he would be out of his office until January.

I was a little taken aback by that, as it was sometime around Thanksgiving.

But Chisholm wasn't the only one staying out of the conversation. Springfield police officers past and present serially declined to go on the record about Chisholm. Here and there, in passing conversation, I heard rumors about his allegedly bizarre and dictatorial tendencies. My favorite piece of gossip was about how he personally collected the coins from the Municipal parking lot for reasons my source didn't understand.
 
And a recently settled lawsuit filed by a Springfield police officer also painted the chief as a manager given to casual insults and petty discrimination. The case was settled without going to court, and the Chief was never called upon to answer for allegedly fostering an "extremely terrible/unbearable hostile work environment."

By the time the chief announced his retirement, I had given up on ever getting in touch with him, which made me a little unhappy. For all I know, he was a perfectly reasonable guy.

I figured the only way I would find out why he decided to leave the force was by obtaining his retirement letter. A representative of the township's administrative office told me I had to file an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to get the letter, and I started rubbing my hands in anticipation of seeing Chisholm's explanation.

Then I got the letter, which I will reproduce in its entirety: "This letter is to inform you and the township that it is my intention to retire from the police department effective April 1, 2010." 

So farewell and good luck, Mr. Chisholm. I guess it was nice not knowing you.