SOUTHPORT, Ind. — Tom Vaughn has been reinstated as the chief of the Southport Police Department just days after Mayor Jim Cooney terminated Vaughn after 11 years.
In a Facebook post on Aug. 15, the City of Southport announced Vaughn would continue to serve as chief of police and that Nate Williams, who had assumed a temporary leadership role, will return to his duties as deputy chief.
"Together, Chief Vaughn and Deputy Chief Williams will continue their collaborative efforts to ensure the safety and security of the Southport community," a statement read in part.
According to Sgt. Doug Hunter, the Southport police public information officer, the mayor and Vaughn had a meeting Thursday afternoon and came to a peaceful resolution.
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On Wednesday during a public press conference, Cooney said he removed Vaughn for not following orders. He said Vaughn's dismissal on Monday came after things soured in the last month.
The mayor said he asked Vaughn for documents on Southport's 30 or so reserve officers, including names, hire dates, discipline records and background checks. He said he wanted the information so he could draft a potential new ordinance, changing the way reserve officers are hired in Southport — no longer by the chief, but rather by a board.
"My biggest stipulation was having some protection for the police chief so he's not at the will of one person," Vaughn said Thursday evening. "I can't have a family and worry about if I'm going to get fired in the middle of the night by an email. We talked about that, and (Cooney) said he was on board with that. He said that he agrees that the ordinance and the laws are confusing."
Both the mayor and Vaughn called it a win-win for the city.
"We agreed to collaborate and communicate in a much better fashion than we had previously, which is all good for Southport," Cooney said.
Vaughn said he's ready to get back to work.
"It got ugly, and that's too bad," Vaughn said. "I wish that never happened, but I think the outcome is going to make us stronger than before."
Cooney and Vaughn said they're going to work together to revamp the ordinances, including the one that was used to demote the chief. The mayor said they plan to start on the rough draft for the ordinance in the coming weeks.