Shock FAIL !!! 🙁   Ya just can’t make this stuff up…..

Orlando – Cecil Smith was sworn in as Sanford’s new police chief this morning and vowed to spend as much time in the community as he does behind his desk.

Smith, the former deputy chief in Elgin, Ill., was sworn in by Mayor Jeff Triplett at City Hall. About 100 people attended the event, including city commissioners, Seminole Sheriff Don Eslinger and dozens of police officers. (more)

FLASHBACK Elgin Ill, November 1997 – Elgin Cops Allege Racial Discrimination On Force

[…] The six current police officers who filed suit are Robert O’Quinn, Terrance Allen, Clenest Gant Jr., Everett Bell, Cecil Smith and Sgt. Henry Smith. The two others, Mason and Floyd McGrone, applied for and did not receive jobs with the department.

While each lawsuit has specific complaints, all are based on discrimination and what the officers perceived as retaliation after they expressed concerns about how they were treated. Some believe their working conditions were hostile. Others said they were assigned undesirable shifts and were routinely passed over for promotion.

[…] Cecil Smith, who is part of the department’s crime prevention and community relations department, took the sergeant’s exam in 1994 and passed the written part, but received low evaluations from administrative officers. When he asked about the low score, he was told the scores reflected his union connections and race relations in the department, according to the lawsuit.

[…] “Months ago this group of police officers raised these concerns,” [Elgin Mayor Kevin] Kelly said. “At the time we felt that the claims were without merit but that we would try to address ways to improve the morale of the dissatisfied employees. Frankly, I have not heard any rumblings or received any communication regarding these concerns for months. In that way, the lawsuits are somewhat surprising.”

In their complaint, the eight officers allege they were held to higher standards than white officers, given inadequate and insufficient training and not allowed the same advancement opportunities as their white counterparts.  The officers are seeking compensatory damages of more than $2.4 million. (continue reading)

Earlier this YEAR – [Cecil] Smith was one of five finalists — and one of two black candidates — who traveled to Sanford earlier this month to meet with city leaders and residents about the job. The finalists were chosen from 76 applicants.

Smith started his law enforcement career at the Elgin Police Department as a patrol officer in January 1988. He quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to deputy chief in 2008.

Bonaparte visited Elgin last week and met with the city’s mayor, city manager and police chief before making his decision.  (Feb 2013 – Continue reading)

So the Sanford City Manager, Norton Bonaparte, who has a fiducary responsibility to the citizens of Sanford, visits Elgin, IL, interviews people who know Cecil Smith, and then selects a person for the most controversially racially charged post in the nation, knowing the person he selected has filed million dollar lawsuits against his former department for allegations of racism.

…… Ya just can’t make this stuff up.