MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fear, it’s what brought Officer Robert Armour to Whitehaven Thursday, someone called officer out there because they were worried about drugs at a home.
He did his job, and wound up shot, trying to make the city safer.
Police Association President Mike Williams said officers are finding themselves in the line of fire more often these days but the city can’t come up with the money to give them a raise.
“These officers deserve better than that, the citizens deserve better than that,” said Williams. “This has become the third most violent city in the nation we moved from number four to number three and today is indicative of that.”
Williams is running for the city’s top job and is highly critical of his opponent, Mayor A C Wharton’s handling of police pay.
“I wish there was a pot of money somewhere,” said Wharton. “I wish, wish, wish but there is not.”
Wharton and union leaders didn’t agree on a contract Wednesday night. Employees are threatening walk outs.
Now the city council must try to intervene. Council Member Kemp Conrad says Officer Armour’s shooting puts a lot in perspective but he still thinks there’s a better way to do this.
“I think the days are long gone where you have a one size fits all city government where everybody gets a three percent pay raise whether you’re the best employee and put your life on the line and locked up all these bad guys or had all these things in the file where you did things wrong,” said Kemp Conrad.
