The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The mayor said he will address the warrant at a press conference at 10 a.m. Thursday. Additional Information. After months of pushback from the majority of council members, Newton said he hopes the city can eventually move in a positive direction. Newton said the opposition reached its apex last week, when Dennis Reno, the white former chief of police in Tarrant, accused the mayor of assaulting him during a conversation in Newton's. He has no regard for the proper procedures to do anything.. Newton late Thursday night posted a series of videos on Facebook, including the one of the alleged assault and others that showed Reno carrying out various activities using his injured arm. For example, he said, the firing of Rickels is something that he didnt need approval for. Its like now all hes doing is trying to oppose anything Mayor Newton is doing. Reno retired after the incident because he said he knew he wouldnt be able to work with the new mayor. Lt. Phillip George of the Tarrant Police Department declined to comment about any alleged policy of not hiring Black officers, as well as the alleged targeting of Black drivers. . He said Reno told him he hadnt hired Black officers because they werent qualified, and couldnt be trusted to police their own. For his part, Newton said most of the criticism by Bryant, Horton, and others who have opposed him is due to the fact that the city used to be run in a way that gave them more decision-making power than he believes they should haveand led to a cycle of stagnation. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The problem is, the four individuals on the council, they know their time is up, Newton said. He said the accusations about the supposed threats on Bryants life were not worth responding to. All rights reserved (About Us). And thats what Ive been doing, he said. He has been on workmans comp since the injury. Newton said he feels he represents all of the people that want to change the city. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Pembroke Pines Police Department. He explained his version of the events during a phone call with The Tribune. I jumped up and I said, Dont you ever curse me again, Reno recalled. He said four of those officers are Black, and that all were hired after Reno resigned from his position as chief of police on Jan. 1. Posted on Monday, November 23, 2020. Newton, an attorney, is accused of slamming a door on Reno, causing an injury to Renos shoulder that may require surgery. Alabama News Network Staff. He has support,' she said. This is not true, and I fully expect to be exonerated., Asked for a response to the mayors statement, Reno said, I only worked for him for two hours. Taylor, who does not buy the assault charge, said her boyfriend is Black, and that for many in the Black community, it has been an open secret that the Tarrant Police Department had no Black police officers and would routinely pull over Black drivers and find excuses to search their cars. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. When Tarrant returned to his car, Aziz threw the shotgun at it. Phone: (817) 685-1500 The Euless Police Department provides law enforcement service for the community. Contact the City; Licenses; I Want To. The Seattle Police Department is honored to announce that Assistant Chief Perry Tarrant was sworn in as the next president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Chief Wendell Major said this all stems from an argument between Councilman Bryant and Mayor Newton. I actually question the legitimacy of those numbers like I question the legitimacy of the hiring practices of the previous police chief, he added. Since becoming mayor, Newton has vowed to "clean up the city" but he said he has faced pushback from the. I wasnt shocked because I knew I didnt do any of the stuff they accused me of doing, Newton said Wednesday. He was charged with third-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor. The alleged assault happened on Election Day Nov. 3, 2020 when the two got into a verbal dispute. Address 2593 Commerce Circle Birmingham , Alabama , 35217 Phone 205-849-2811 Fax 205-849-2807 Tarrant Police Department / Tarrant City Jail Details Type Local Police Department Full Time Sworn Officers 25 Full Time Civilians 6 Map of Tarrant Police Department / Tarrant City Jail in Birmingham, Alabama Reno left the chiefs job shortly after and officially retired Jan. 1, 2021 after 42 years in law enforcement. Contact the City; Licenses; I Want To. Its like now all hes doing is trying to oppose anything Mayor Newton is doing. Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton surrendered to authorities Wednesday after the city's former police chief swore out a warrant on him. Bryant wondered why Newton wasnt putting himself on leave given the fact that he fired Rickels for his charge. Fax: 817-249-4803. I do not represent the Mayor, Councilor Bryant or any other employee in its individual capacity, he said. Crime news across America. Coming on the heels of a year of racial justice protests, literal dismantling of Confederate monuments, and calls for police reform, the bizarre, small-town, Deep South saga either reflects the rise of a ruthless politician one rival likened to Adolf Hitler, or the last gasp of a white power structure that wont let go. Police | Tarrant, AL Police Call 911 in case of emergency. Reno did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this story. My thing is, I was elected to run the city. Newton said he expects the charge against him to be dropped after video of the incident is handed over to the District Attorneys Office. Whos the racist here? When he was released, the young mayor posted security-camera videos on Facebook that appear to show Reno leaving the mayors office and calmly closing the door on his way out. The mayor in April fired Tarrant Fire Chief Jason Rickels, a month after Rickels was arrested in Georgia on assault and other charges after he allegedly pulled a gun on an Atlanta realtor and her photographer at a property he owns there. Newton was booked into the Jefferson County Jail in Bessemer at 4:09 p.m. Wednesday with bond set at $1,000. (Newton said the reason the city doesnt have a clerk or police chief is because Bryant and other holdover council members have opposed his choices and instead want to install someone sympathetic to them.). Police Dept. Newton, he said, has been a boon to the city because he recognizes its potential. All rights reserved (About Us). Tarrant city councilman Tommy Bryant previously came under fire for calling the same mayor he is accused of attacking a "house n----r" during a council meeting. And so, unfortunately, its going to probably be another three years, but I feel certain that in 2024, that the citizens are going to clean house and we will actually have a council that is representative of the city and that wants to move the city forward.. Perry Tarrant has 34 years of law enforcement experience with the Tucson Police Department. At a press conference held about his arrest, Newton said Reno was was unwilling to stop the discriminatory practice of not hiring African American officers, which under my administration is unacceptable., There was a verbal disagreement about this between myself and Mr. Reno in my office on November 3, 2020, in which Mr. Reno is alleging that I slammed his arm in a door, Newton said. I hope it dont offend you. All rights reserved, Reward Offered as Montgomery County Deputies Hope to Find Woman, Selma Police Investigating Man's Apparent Murder, Montgomery Police Need Help in Homicide Investigation, Montgomery Firefighters Investigating Large Church Fire Near Downtown, Pedestrian Killed in Three-Car Crash in Troy. But he said it has been plagued by a lack of investment, empty storefronts, and what he calls a lack of foresight. He said he went to the jail in Bessemer because he heard that the media was awaiting his arrival at the Birmingham Jail. In fact, I take those obstacles and I take their attempts to discredit me as motivation to keep going forward.. Meanwhile, white drivers made up about 30 percent of stops in 2019, and 27 percent of stops in 2020, numbers that are a bit lower than their 34 percent share of the population. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Newton, elected in 2020 as the citys first Black mayor, is charged with third-degree assault of former Chief Dennis Reno. Country: United States Address 1: 2593 Commerce Cir City: Tarrant State: Alabama Zip Code: 35217-2352 County: Jefferson County Phone #: 205-849-2811 Fax #: 205-849-2807. Newton said Reno told him that he didnt hire Black officers because Black officers dont like to police their own.. Certainly, were glad to have him join us, Newton said. The incident was caught on camera. Site Map. He said it was created by a former employee and is, for lack of any way else of describing it, its just basically a racist page that smears my name and makes it the point to keep up division in the city., I have the truth behind me,' he said, and the truth is going to set me free.. Now all of a sudden hes in office and I work for him for two hours and Im a racist? Police Department | Mansfield, TX Careers Records & Reports Jail Contact Us Animal Care & Control Compliments/ Complaints Stay Connected Police Newsroom & Events Police Events City Events March 2023 There are no published events in current month. Lets get to the bottom of it and see who is lying.. Reno denies the claim that he didnt want to hire black officers. Newton, elected in 2020 as the city's first Black mayor,. Laura Horton, 73, who served on the city council for 20 years before losing her re-election bid in 2020, echoed Bryants assessment of Newton. He said he hopes to succeed in that endeavor. I was trying to piss him off to see if hed come after me, Bryant said. Neither Rickels nor Steel responded to a request for comment for this story. Unfortunately, if you look at the city, and if you look at the people who are actually engaged in our politics, the people who make it a point to come and volunteer for our Farmers Market, people who make it a point to volunteer for other.at our rec center, they dont support those individuals. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Bryant pushed back against any problems with race that the city and police department may have faced in the past.