Hanceville delays decision on the future of its police force after corruption allegations

Hanceville residents filled the city council chambers, lined the walls and spilled into the hallway Thursday night at the council’s first meeting since a grand jury called for the city to abolish its police department. Some shared stories of past police brutality. Others expressed concerns about the Hanceville Police Department’s future.

A Cullman County grand jury indicted five police officers last week, including the Hanceville police chief, over alleged crimes ranging from drug distribution to evidence tampering. The jury said the department was so rife with corruption that it should be dismantled and an outside law enforcement agency should take over. 

Since then, the remainder of the force has been placed on administrative leave and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office is handling law enforcement in Hanceville. 

In spite of the jury’s recommendation, the city council tabled the issue as Hanceville residents appeared divided over how to proceed. Some public commenters said the former officers were the problem, and the department could be rehabilitated with new staff. Others shared emotional testimonies of past aggression from officers.. 

“I’ve lived in Hanceville 62 years and I was a victim of this police department,” Brian Campbell said. 

He went on to share a story of how former Hanceville officers mistreated him through excessive physical force and detained him in filthy jail cells at the station. As he recounted his story, Campbell broke down in tears.

Even city employees, such as Michelle Allen Scott, shared stories of officers behaving aggressively. 

“The Hanceville citizen’s trust has been lost and it deeply saddens me,” Allen Scott said. “So I ask, how can we change it? We need a police department.”

Despite the negative accounts of the police, many speakers did not want the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office to become the permanent law enforcement presence in town. They argued that while the Hanceville Police Department has a checkered reputation, the city needs its own police force to maintain safety, good response times and city code enforcement.

Council member Kenneth Cornelius said city officials spent months asking for Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker, the state Bureau of Investigations and even the FBI to look into the police department after one of the dispatchers was found dead at work. He added that councilors did not know about the indictments against the officers until February 

“We hurt too,” Cornelius said. “My heart goes out to all of you. We have to fix what’s here now for the masses.” 

The Hanceville City Council tabled the topic and will reconsider the issue at a meeting March 10.