Top Cop May Be Back

Former Monroe police officer Reggie Brown has had what one could call a "complicated" relationship with some within the city of Monroe as a police officer. He has held several positions within the department, going all the way to that of chief. Many will say that was because of his "relationship" with former mayor Jamie Mayo, that as long as Mayo was the mayor, Brown was the chief. That all changed with the changing of who sat behind the mayor's desk when the current mayor, Oliver "Friday" Ellis unseated Mayo. Many saw Ellis' victory as the end of Brown's tenure as police chief and perhaps even that of a police officer in the city of Monroe. A police brutality case involving a Black man with a white officer made news when there was talk of an alleged coverup within MPD that was allegedly known by both Brown and Mayo. Nothing was ever proven of a connection by Brown or Mayo, but it appeared that it was enough to remove (along with covid and low turnout) to ensure Ellis a surprise victory. While there was a concerted effort by some to have Brown's and other officers' service records made public, Brown was the sole target in that it was an election year. The old "two for one" plan went into motion, many said. Brown would lose his job when Ellis came into office, as he was replaced by new Ellis hire, Victor Zordan as the new police chief. Brown fought to regain his job after being fired by allegedly not disclosing information in a 'timely manner" to state law enforcement authorities concerning the alleged coverup police brutality incident where the officer was convicted and is serving time. Brown appealed his firing and for a brief time got his job back, but not as police chief. The city appealed the ruling and Brown lost his job a second time on a ruling by a 4th Judicial District Court ruling. But sources tell The Dispatch that Brown may be back wearing a Monroe police officer uniform again. A ruling from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals will send Brown's case back to where it all started, saying that the defendant should not have been fired while he was under the appeal process. The Dispatch was told that if that is the case, Brown should be reinstated to the position that he held when the city fired him and presumably, with back pay. This may be seen as a "black eye" to the Ellis administration if acting on legal advice from the city attorney's office. As of press time, there has been no word from the mayor's office on whether such a ruling has been issued. If it is true, there may be some "fence-mending" on how the city will proceed if indeed Brown will be allowed back on the force. Some may ask if Brown wants to come back, seeing how he has been treated the last few years. Some may say that the change in the position of chief could have been handled better than it was in light of how Brown lost the position of chief. A change could have come under different circumstances after Ellis became mayor since he had the police exam redone, meaning that he still would have gotten the man in as chief of his choosing. But for now, it appears that a court ruling is about to change the dynamics at police headquarters and city hall.