Up & Coming Weekly

June 14, 2022

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JUNE 15 - 21, 2022 UCW 9 e Fayetteville Police Department went to Puerto Rico for several days to recruit 25 new officers — costing the city more than $20,000. e FPD, as well as many police agencies nearby, have several vacancies. is makes the job of current officers more difficult. Several incentives have been added to help attract potential recruits, including higher wages, signing bonuses, education incentives and relocation reimbursements. e agency is also looking at other police depart- ments to see if experienced officers would like a job with them. One place that is becoming a popular site for police recruitment is Puerto Rico. e FPD isn't the only police agency to find recruits in Puerto Rico. e North Charleston Police Department in South Carolina has recently sworn in three out of ten in- coming officers from the island as part of a partner- ship with the University of Puerto Rico. According to Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins, the U.S. island territory's pension system for its police officers does not compare with the retirement and benefits provided by the FPD. Last year, officers went on strike to demand a better pub- lic pension plan. e Puerto Rico Police Officers do not receive Social Security or health insurance upon retirement, obtaining only 30% to 40% of their salary. Seven people from FPD flew to Puerto Rico on April 3. ose in attendance included Hawkins, Police Major Roberto Bryan Jr., Sgt. Gerald Poland Serrano, Sgt. Kendra Faire, Detective Brandy Bohan- non, Detective Stephanie Berrios-Rivera, and Officer Asbel Torres. ey left on April 7. For FPD to travel to Puerto Rico, the tickets cost FPD $4,584.70. is cost did not include the $176.47 for the Main Cabin Extra seating, which is $25.21 for each person flying. e recruiting event took place at Embassy Suites by Hilton San Juan Hotel & Casino. e FPD spent $5,352 for two conference rooms on April 4, April 5 and April 6. e hotel also charged FPD $4,084.80 for four rooms and $169.52 for parking. $4,989.63 was spent at Publi-Inversiones Puerto Rico, the owner of the daily newspaper, El Vocero. It is a free Puerto Rican newspaper that is published in San Juan. FPD ran several advertisements from March 16 to April 5 in the El Vocero. e ad on Facebook received 537 reactions, 476 shares and 160 comments. Other costs include a $258.04 visit to Walmart, an $86.73 visit to a grocery store, $75 to park at Raleigh- Durham International Airport, $130 in baggage receipts, and $620 in passenger receipts. On April 4, there were three separate time slots for orientation. On April 5, there were two time-slots for the written and physical exams. On April 6, there were the interviews. Applicants had to be at least 20.5 years of age, have a driver's license, have an acceptable driving record, have a high school diploma, and be fluent in Eng- lish. ose that passed the exams will have to travel to North Carolina to take the Police Officer Physical Abilities Test, the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer, the Medical and Psychological Testing and pass an interview with Hawkins. Sixty people applied during the recruiting event. Hawkins told Up & Coming Weekly that 25 of those applicants passed the entry test. at means that the FPD, and the city, spent $825.07 to recruit one applicant from Puerto Rico. However, Hawkins told Up & Coming Weekly that the recruiting event was worth it. "What's the cost of going without an officer?" she asked. "How much money is spent on overtime when we are short 50 officers?" Up & Coming Weekly reached out to FPD about the price totals and when the recruits will be expected to start but have not received a reply at the time of publication. Former Spring Lake Finance Director arrested e former Spring Lake Finance Director was ar- rested, June 10, on charges of Embezzlement, Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity eft. e federal indictment alleges that 63-year-old Gay Cameron Tucker embezzled more than $560,000 from the Town of Spring Lake during her tenure as finance director and accounting technician for the town. e indictment further alleges that Tucker carried out the embezzlement through fraudulent checks containing forged signatures of the mayor and town manager. "City government officials are entrusted to spend taxpayer funds on public needs – not their own," United States Attorney Michael Easley stated in the press release. "Our prosecutors and law enforcement partners are committed to vigorously investigating all allegations of public corruption." is arrest comes after the Office of the State Audi- tor released its final report into allegations of the misuse of funds in Spring Lake. According to the indictment, approximately $148,000 in checks were made payable to "Gay C Tucker" or "Gay Tucker," and roughly $177,000 in checks were made payable to "Heritage Place," "Heritage House" or "Heritage." e audit report states that Heritage House was the nursing care home where Tucker's husband was living. e report states that these checks were used to pay her husband's monthly resident bills. Approximately $240,000 in checks were made payable to "Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union" or "BMFCU." ese checks were deposited to an ac- count belonging to Tucker. e indictment states that after receiving the town's money into her bank account, Tucker used the funds for her interests. ose interests included rent, personal living expenses, cash withdrawals and money transfers to individuals. Tucker has been released without bail. She is being charged with one count of embezzle- ment from a Local Government Receiving Federal Funds, four counts of Bank Fraud, and two counts of Aggravated Identity eft. e maximum punishment for embezzlement is 10 years in prison. e maximum punishment for Bank Fraud is 30 years in prison. e maximum punishment for Aggravated Identity eft is not less than, nor more than, two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Up & Coming Weekly recognized by Association of Community Publishers Up & Coming Weekly has been recognized as one of the Best of the Best in the Association of Commu- nity Publishers for our entertainment columns, our front pages, best ad series and self-promotion. e Association of Community Publishers an- nounced on Wednesday, June 8, the winners of the 2022 Best of the Best awards. Up & Coming Weekly column writer, Pitt Dickey, won second place for Best Original Column that entertains the reader. Up & Coming Weekly's former Art Director, Dylan Hooker, was key in the publication receiving 3rd Place for Best Front Page, 3rd Place for Self-Promo- tion, and an honorable mention for Best Ad Series. e Association of Community Publishers repre- sents community publications from coast to coast, reaching millions of homes on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis. ese publications are united in providing the best advertising coverage to their clients and valuable advertising information to their strong and loyal readership base. HANNAH LEE, Assistant Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Police Department takes recruiting efforts to Puerto Rico by HANNAH LEE NEWS DIGEST

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