Dover’s police union continues to clash with city leadership online over conflicts involving the city’s Chief of Police.
In late July, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 15 issued a vote of no confidence in Chief of Police Thomas Johnson Jr. and asked for his immediate resignation.
FOP 15 says they believe Chief Johnson repeatedly failed to connect with his officers and act in their best interest. The union has also levied accusations against Johnson alleging unethical behavior involving a community policing fund, which they say he did without city approval.
Mayor Robin Christensen argues those accusations “do not withstand scrutiny when weighed against the facts, City policy and the law.”
Christensen also says he stands with the Dover Police Department and that he attempted to schedule a meeting with union officials in a public forum, and that union officials have ignored that invitation.
FOP 15 counters that the invitation was vague, lacking a place or date, and that union officials did respond, trying to clarify those details. They claim that response was, in fact, being ignored by city administration.
Mayor Christensen noted in his most recent statement that he now considers the matter closed, prompting immediate backlash from union leaders, saying "while you may oversee the day-to-day operations of the police department, the FOP does not report to you. You do not have the right to attempt to silence our organization."