A packed council meeting room at Fort Oglethorpe City Hall included more than 20 members of the local Fraternal Order of Police lodge who came to support their own Monday evening.

The audience listened patiently to routine business being conducted, then heard several persons speak on a recent issue that has caused friction between police, the mayor, interim city manager and some council members.

But before the citizens’ petition portion of the meeting came about there was foreshadowing of what lay ahead during one item of council business, that being a vote on whether the city should pursue certification in the Georgia Municipal Association’s City of Ethics program.

With a resounding “no,” council member Richard Egeland was the sole dissenting vote, effectively striking down the matter since the GMA requires a unanimous vote by governments wishing to participate.

The ethics program provides for cities to form a citizen review board to participate in any ethics investigations.

Egeland said that with all the ridicule and humiliation of the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department in the cases of one recent arrest and one traffic stop, he could not vote for such a measure.

“I think we owe the police department an (apology),” Egeland said in the council member business portion of the meeting. He closed by taking a shot at his election rival Johnnie “Red” Smith, who defeated him in last week’s voting.

“You might have won, but when it comes to the men and women that put on this uniform, I think you’re a loser,” Egeland said, receiving admonishment from Mayor Judd Burkhart for being out of order.

Freddy Roden, president of the Baxter Shavers Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 99 in Fort Oglethorpe, was first to speak in the citizen comment time.

Roden said his organization supports having citizen complaints about police activity to be first investigated by that police department’s internal affairs division.

“After that, if they are not satisfied with the outcome, then they should have the opportunity to come before the council and express their concern,” Roden said.

He said he feels that in the recent situations surrounding actions by Fort Oglethorpe police officers Keith Robertson and Tammy Higgins, the police department has been treated “like a political football.”

Robertson was accused by Flintstone resident Danny L. Botts Sr. of not allowing his terminally ill sister to use a restroom in city hall while he was under arrest Sept. 20 for having a suspended registration on his vehicle.

After Higgins cited Harvey Hogue for not wearing his seat belt, he filed a complaint against the police department saying he in fact had it on and was being harassed.

“The police chief (Larry C. Black) was never allowed to give the officers’ side of the story, and we oppose investigations conducted in that manner,” he said.

When Fort Oglethorpe police officer Dave Scroggins came forward to speak, he choked back tears in describing his fellow officers as “some of the best officers I’ve ever seen.”

“I can count on one hand the times I’ve seen elected officials come out and thank these officers,” said the 10-year veteran cop.

According to Scroggins, both of the accused in the recent events have criminal records, and he said that shows how officers are putting their safety at risk. He said to the council members, “You guys should support every officer until it’s proven they did something wrong.”

Both Robertson and Higgins were cleared of any wrongdoing in an investigation by interim city manager Ron Goulart.

After Scroggins’ statement Mayor Burkhart said he did not know of anyone on the council who had personally “downed” Robertson, who he described as a personal friend.

But Robertson stood up and maintained that although Goulart said he did not violate policy, he was generally negative in a statement made to news media, saying Robertson had acted inappropriately and made poor judgment.

During a statement by Police Chief Black, Egeland asked him who had changed Botts’ citation from driving a vehicle with suspended registration to a lesser charge of having an expired tag.

Goulart spoke up and said he asked the traffic court clerk to ask the judge to do this, but before he could offer further explanation, Mayor Burkhart said he wasn’t going to allow any further argument of the case at the meeting.

In unrelated business, the city’s fiscal 2008 budget was passed 4-1, with council member Harold Silcox the dissenting vote. He said in the work session prior to the council meeting that he didn’t like the use of reserve funds being used for department expenses, preferring instead to come up with ways to trim back all around.

The Council unanimously voted to:

* Pass a resolution approving the Mayor and Council to request Homestead Tax Exemption increases from the Georgia General Assembly.

* Increase disbursement for the city employee annual appreciation token from $50 to $100.

* Increase city volunteer board and commission members compensation to $25 per meeting but not to exceed $50 per month.

* Approve new software support for 10 police patrol car radio systems.

* Approve a $1,250 emergency repair to an electric motor at the Westside pump station.

* Purchase materials for a water line project at Gilbert-Stephenson Park.

* Approve construction of a new drainage ditch through Gilbert-Stephenson Park.

* Change the city’s long-term disability insurance policy from Unum to Mutual of Omaha for a savings of about $6,000 annually for the next three years.

* Upgrade the terminal and PC software at the city’s vehicle fueling station.

* Approve the purchase of a new utility pole barn.