Cuts to police in Spring Lake worry residents, former chief

Like many small towns in North Carolina, Spring Lake used to have a thriving economy and a tax base that supported the community, which is a gateway to Fort Bragg. But years of economic problems are catching up with the town some 12,000 people call home.

Town officials declined to comment on the situation Wednesday, but Troy McDuffie, who retired as police chief at the beginning of May, said it's concerning.

"When I retired, there were six vacancies. Those vacancies have been frozen," McDuffie said.

That leaves Spring Lake with 24 sworn police officers and the new chief.

But town leaders are talking about furloughing some detectives and freezing four more officer positions. The town manager also has proposed cutting salaries throughout the police department by 10 to 20 percent.

"Out of the agencies here in Cumberland County – Fayetteville, the sheriff's office and Hope Mills – Spring Lake is by far the lowest-paying agency," McDuffie said. "[For] retention, of course it makes it challenging. The only resources and tools that you have of trying to keep these officers there is offering them a good work environment [and] supporting them."

The systematic defunding of the police department will eventually reach the point where Spring Lake won't be able to protect its own residents, he said.

"If the police department goes away, I think they'll go back to the same situation that they had back in 2009, where they would have to contract out to Cumberland County," he said.

Spring Lake resident Yolanda Burst said the town needs a police department.