Winterville councilwoman speaks out on police chief’s comments during meeting

WINTERVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - A Winterville town councilwoman is voicing her concerns to WITN after the Winterville Police Chief, Christopher Williams, said in a town council meeting that he doesn’t believe police are held to a higher standard than ordinary citizens.

In the video of the Monday night meeting, Winterville Town Councilwoman, Shantel Hawkins, states that the police are held to a higher standard.

Chief Williams responds by saying, ”We are held to the same standards as a law-abiding citizen. We show courtesy, we follow policy, it’s not a higher standard, it’s the town standard-the state standard.”

Hawkins says she not only has issues with that remark, but other issues with the Winterville Police Department.

Hawkins says that she does not trust their way of receiving and addressing anonymous complaints, saying there isn’t a reference number given for the person making the complaint to use to follow up.

“Any complaint should be referenced, whether it’s a week, a month, or a year. It is a complaint, it is valid, and it needs to have reference to its findings,” said Hawkins.

Town Manager, Terri Parker, gave this response to that claim by Hawkins:

“The Winterville Police Department has a complaint procedure that includes the option for someone to submit a complaint anonymously. The complaint form is included on the Winterville website (www.wintervillenc.com). If a complaint is submitted anonymously, a reference number will be assigned, and the complainant will be responsible for seeking any associated updates. The Town does note that the Winterville Police Department and Procedures are currently under review. ”

Hawkins also says only 36% of Winterville is black, but nearly 90% of crimes charged are to black individuals.

In response to that, the town manager said:

“It has been stated that 90% of the traffic stops made by Winterville Police involve black Winterville residents. During the months of June 2024- December 2024, there were 1,441 traffic stops made and 63% of said stops involved blacks. Said stops do not involve only citizens of Winterville and a vast majority of these stops ended with a written or verbal warning.”

Even though the town manager spoke to WITN about the issues Hawkins has today, Hawkins said she takes issue with the silence that filled the room after Chief William’s comments on the standard police are held to.

“The mayor, the town manager, the town attorney, as well as the town council sat present. For me, silence is complicity,” said Hawkins.

In response to Chief Williams’ comment on Monday, the town manager says:

“It has been noted that there appears to be concerns with statements made by Chief Williams during a discussion “Other Agenda Items” pertaining to police being held to a “higher standard. Chief Williams is a retired service member and an experienced law enforcement officer. The Town is confident that Chief Williams is aware of the standards that both he, his officers and all emergency service personnel are held to. We collectively remain committed to building collaborative and beneficial working relationships.”

We asked about 10 people in Eastern Carolina if they think police should be held to a higher standard than the average citizen.

Only one person we interviewed said that police should be held to the same standard as other citizens.

“They should be treated just like us. I don’t care if they got guns or not, you know... we should be treated equally,” said Kinston resident, Sharon Rogeres.