The Hillsborough County Chiefs of Police Association unanimously voted to declare on Thursday that they have no confidence in the continued leadership of Hillsborough County Attorney Michael Conlon, the association said in an announcement on Friday.
“After careful and deliberative review, the Hillsborough County Chiefs of Police Association has taken the unprecedented step of issuing a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Hillsborough County Attorney Michael Conlon. This action was the result of a unanimous decision by the chiefs of police present for the association’s October 24, 2019 meeting,” the announcement said. “The vote comes after several weeks of meetings and work by a committee formed by the Hillsborough County Chiefs of Police Association that collected information and data regarding the problems, issues and concerns that the county chiefs have regarding the conduct and leadership of the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office.
The announcement went on to say that the findings and recommendations made by the committee were presented to the Attorney General’s office and the membership of the Hillsborough County Chief’s of Police Association. After which the association “unanimously voted to declare they have no confidence in the continued leadership of Hillsborough County Attorney Michael Conlon to be able to make the necessary changes to address and successfully implement the solutions and recommendations made by the committee.”
“The Hillsborough County Chiefs of Police Association wishes to recognize all hard working and dedicated lawyers and support staff at the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office and further note that many of the systemic issues that plague that office predate Attorney Conlon’s tenure,” the announcement said. “The Hillsborough County Chiefs of Police Association informed Hillsborough County Attorney Conlon of its decision yesterday and have yet to hear from him or his office.”
“We are certainly disappointed that this action was necessary; however, we have an obligation to protect our communities and best serve our residents,” Lyndeborough Chief Rainsford G. Deware, III, president of the Hillsborough County Chiefs of Police Association, said in an email on Friday.
On Sept. 5, Attorney General Gordon MacDonald called for Conlon to resign.
Published reports cite community outrage over the lenient sentences negotiated for parents of a 20-month old Manchester toddler, who died after ingesting cocaine, as one of the reasons Conlon was asked to resign.
In a four-page letter to MacDonald on Sept. 6, Conlon “respectfully” declined to resign. In the letter, Conlon acknowledged the lack of confidence many police chiefs in the county have in him, “Your stated basis for this action taken by the Attorney General’s Office is a lack of confidence from police chiefs. This conclusion arises from communication with a few of the Chiefs of police in the County. They are upset at how certain cases have been handled and a particular one most recently. Many of the Chiefs can easily think about a time when they were disappointed in communication surrounding cases that were handled by my Office. This includes many matters that happened before I became County Attorney. Unfortunately, this conclusion is not based on any communication with me or any member of my Office as to the cause or reasons for this struggle to effectively communicate. If the Chiefs of police of Hillsborough County are disappointed and unsatisfied with the communication capabilities of my office, count me among them.”
When contacted for comment Monday Conlon was unavailable.