‘We are going a little bit too far’ Lexington councilman decries loss of police chaplain
A Lexington councilman said Tuesday the city had gone ‘too far’ when it announced earlier this week it was doing away with the police chaplain position, and he was not satisfied with the official explanation.
“We are trying to do away with all of our old stuff,” said Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman Fred Brown. during a Tuesday council meeting. “We are trying to do away with all of our statues, and renaming streets and now we want to rename what this chaplain is supposed to do.”
On Monday, Lexington police announced the department would no longer have an official chaplain. The current chaplain, Donovan Stewart, will be moved to patrol. Police departments across the country have converted chaplain positions to civilian wellness coordinators who can assist police officers with other matters, including referring officers to counseling.
Stewart was accused in a February 2020 federal civil rights lawsuit of hitting a Black autistic teenager while the teenager was restrained at the Fayette Mall in February 2019. Protesters who marched on downtown streets after the police-involved deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have been critical of the police department’s handling of the case. An internal disciplinary review has been delayed because of ongoing legal action associated with the incident.
Brown said Tuesday the chaplaincy program should not be abolished because of Stewart.
“When you dissolve the chaplain position, that shouldn’t have anything to do with the person,” Brown said. The chaplain position is a service to officers and has been in place for decades. “I think we are going a little bit too far in addressing some of these issues.”
Public Safety Commissioner Ken Armstrong said Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers has wanted to convert the position to wellness coordinator since he became chief in 2018. That’s what police departments are doing all over the country, Armstrong said.
“The individual that was in that position was not the reason why it was converted,” Armstrong said. Armstrong said officers will still have access to chaplains.
Brown said the issue should have come before council and the public may not support doing away with the chaplain position.
“I’m not going to buy that,” Brown said. “I don’t know why it wouldn’t be put before council.”
But Armstrong and Mayor Linda Gorton said the council has limited say over the day-to-day operations of the Lexington Police Department.
Gorton said the council can only approve the authorized strength — or number of sworn police officers — for the department.
Armstrong said the chaplain position is appointed by the chief. The chief has sole discretion on who serves in that role.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 12:10 PM.
