NATCHEZ &045; Members of Natchez’s NAACP chapter asked city officials Tuesday to take action against Police Chief Mike Mullins, claiming he has treated black employees unfairly.

A letter read by NAACP member Eva Dunkley stated a hearing before the State Board of Law Enforcement Standards and Training was needed on the issue of Officer Willie B. Jones’ certification because Mullins wouldn’t accept Jones’ certification.

A person who been out of law enforcement for two years or more must be approved by Standards and Training to attend a refresher course prior to being re-certified. Standards and Training voted on May 12 to cancel Jones’ certification for two years due to past conduct by Jones.

On Tuesday, Dunkley also read from the NAACP letter that Police Sgt. David Lindsey testified at the May 12 Standards and Training hearing that Lindsey had pleaded guilty to stealing cable.

However, the letter stated Lindsey was promoted to sergeant and not disciplined.

&uot;Chief Mullins has shown he is biased against black employees and lenient when it comes to white employees,&uot; the NAACP stated in the letter.

Lindsey said Tuesday night he was involved in a civil class action lawsuit and that the case was dismissed after settlement.

The Rev. Leon Howard, chairman of the NAACP chapter’s Negotiating Committee, said that of several people promoted in the Police Department, only one was black, and that every supervisor of police officers &uot;on the street&uot; is white.

Mullins told the board half of the department’s supervisors are white and half are black.

In addition, Howard said a tape Mullins provided the NAACP chapter of an alleged bribe attempt by Jones was blank.

In 1997, Jones allegedly offered a fellow officer $260 not to pursue a drug charge against a relative of Jones’ then-fiance.

Jones resigned before an investigation into the matter was finished and was later arrested in the case. Jones was charged with felony obstruction of justice but pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge.

The charge was wiped from his record late last year.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Howard also said someone else is telling Mullins how to run the department.

Mullins told the board the chapter’s statements are untrue and that he would elaborate if asked to by the board.

Aldermen voted 4-3 in October, with Mayor West breaking the tie, to rehire Jones, although City Attorney Walter Brown told them state law authorizes only the Civil Service Commission to rehire officers.

While both Howard and the letter stopped short of asking the mayor and Board of Aldermen to fire or censure Mullins, Howard did ask city officials to &uot;hear our cry.&uot;

After the meeting, Mayor Phillip West and Alderman Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West said they had not yet discussed how to follow up on the NAACP’s complaints and didn’t know if they would discuss the issue when Tuesday’s meeting is continued this afternoon.

The board recessed Tuesday night’s meeting until 4 p.m. today, when they will interview three applicants for the city planner’s position and then discuss other matters Mayor West did not specify.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor West said he &uot;can appreciate the concerns presented to us.&uot;

While he did not mention the Jones case specifically, Mayor West said he has been misrepresented by the media. He also said some are trying to &uot;dig holes&uot; while &uot;we’re trying to fill holes and build bridges.&uot;

&uot;I know who those persons are, Š and I will deal with them in a timely manner,&uot; Mayor West said.

&uot;We’ve been fair,&uot; Alderman Rickey Gray said. &uot;We get a raw deal from The Natchez Democrat. They’re just looking for someone negative. If something’s about to die, you need to Š let it die.

&uot;Everything is not black and white. Š We need to think about the individual and the family,&uot; Gray said.

Mayor West said he is concerned about what’s best for Natchez and wants to focus on what’s positive in the community.