In November, 1997, Middleburg Police Chief David Simpson and his entire full-time, two-officer force resigned, leaving only one part-time patrolman on the Town payroll.

Simpson said he resigned, "for personal reasons." Then-mayor Tim Dimos and every other member of Council who is willing or able to comment on the affair, now contend that, at the very least, "the advantages of alternative employment" had been discussed with the departing Chief.

In the midst of public outrage at the resignation of the popular chief and his officers, and a genuine public safety crisis, Dimos delivered a carefully worded public statement to a large crowd assembled at Town Hall.

The guidelines below are taken directly that statement.

They are described by the former Mayor as "expectations," personal guidelines he had developed as the direct "supervisor" of the Chief of Police, a role he had not sought, and had taken on only at the Chief's personal request.

While they do not constitute a complete set of rules for the Chief of a Police Department committed to the concepts of Community Policing, they are a good start, as the Middleburg Town Council once again finds itself in the process of clarifying the Department's chain of command, hiring a new Chief, and reviewing its guidelines and standing orders for Police behavior.

The Dimos Rules

1. I cannot supervise another unless I understand the job of the person I am supervising. I knew little about police administration prior to taking on this responsibility. Accordingly, my first expectation was [that] the Chief would help me learn more about the day-to-day responsibilities of a Chief of Police.

2. Since I was now accountable to the Council for the manner in which the Chief discharged his responsibilities, I expected him to be fully accountable to me.

3. I expect our Chief to maintain a record system that will enable him to quickly produce meaningful data regarding the performance of the Department. For example, I expect our Chief to be able to tell his supervisor, for any period of time, how many criminal investigations were opened, how many closed, and on what terms. In other words, how well is the Department carrying out its principal mission - preventing and investigating crime.

4. I expect our Chief to operate his office in a business-like, organized and professional fashion that will, for example, enable him to produce copies of documents as necessary or as requested by his supervisor.

5. I expect our Chief to respond promptly and fully to his supervisor's legitimate inquiries. The supervisor should not have to maintain a tickler file for following up unanswered questions.

6. I expect our Chief to adhere to the most rigorous fiduciary standards in all financial transactions.

7. I expect our Chief to be disciplined and precise in the preparation of all of his reports.

8. I expect our Chief to adhere to established procedures for the procurement of goods or services or otherwise where an expenditure of Town funds is involved.

9. I expect our Chief to keep his personal business separate and apart from the business of the Police Department.

10. While on the Town's clock, I expect our Chief to devote his time exclusive[ly] to the responsibilities we have defined for him.

11. I expect our Chief to at all time be civil in his speech and writing.

12. I expect our Chief to at all time be respectful of his supervisor and the Council members.

13. I expect our Chief to at all time be respectful of and cognizant of the tax-paying citizens of this Town who provide the funds that pay his salary and the other costs of operating our government. Our annual police department budget [in 1997] is approximately $150,000, or one fourth of our total general fund expenditures. Those funds should be spent in the manner that gives our citizens the maximum possible benefit per dollar spent.

"Lastly," Dimos concluded, "let me urge you all to consider this. We are your neighbors, relatives and friends. We are serving as Council members out of a sense of love and devotion to this special town. There are no other rewards and we have no hidden agenda. Our ideas and our actions deserve your scrutiny and we need to hear from you if you disagree. But let's always maintain civility and mutual respect in the course of that discussion."