'That's what we do'

MILTON — The Milton City Police Department wants residents to feel safe.

That is the stance police Chief Tony Tindell took when he spoke at the May 6 City Council executive meeting. His address was a result of issues brought up by council regarding police reports filed by city officials about suspected threatening contact after an April council meeting.  

At the May 6 meeting, Councilman Jeff Snow brought up a comment made by Mayor Heather Lindsay regarding the police report he filed about unwanted touching, which he described as "aggressive." 

According to a police report on the incident, Snow said that after the March 26 meeting, a citizen touched his chest and refused to remove her hand. Snow said this was not the first time he felt like he was being physically bullied, which led him to file the report.

Snow said he felt the mayor's comments were unfounded and uncalled for.

"Maybe (the mayor) didn't have all the facts," Snow said.

Lindsay said she had seen security footage related to the report and did not witness what she thought was aggressive behavior.

Tindell said that according to the police report, the touching was "unwanted." He said what constitutes as aggressive is up for debate.  

"It is up to the person to feel whether they are offended or not," Tindell said. "Did it leave any bruises? No. But it doesn't have to."

Tindell said the issue was not investigated further at the request of Snow, but he encourages the citizens of the city to feel like they can feel comfortable filing a complaint with the department, regardless of how small they feel it might be. 

"That's what we do," he said. "We serve each and everybody. You are not wasting any of our time." 

Tindell said if someone is making you feel uncomfortable, he suggests trying to try to discuss it with them first, if possible. If you can not discuss it with them, he said, contact the police and ask for assistance.

"If we can keep the peace, and build relationships, that is not wasting our time," Tindell said. "We are happy to serve."

Milton Police Department is located at 5451 Alabama St., in front of City Hall. The phone number is (850) 983-5420.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'That's what we do'