Press Release: Barry Saunders Article, Please explain Chief
Date: June 16, 2010
CONTACT: John H. Manley, Jr, Chief of Police
252-972-1473
The purpose of this press release is to provide clarity to comments that were attributed to me and printed in the GQ magazine by reporter Robert Draper. Also, I am providing this release due to these comments were later reprinted by Barry Saunders with the News and Observer along with additional editorial by him.
I am a 30 year law enforcement veteran who has always cared about mankind and throughout these investigations that were led by the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation I have expressed privately and publicly on numerous occasions my condolences and heartfelt sympathy to these families. I have attended memorial services and community support gatherings for these families where I again expressed my deepest condolences and pledge to do everything we could to bring these cases to a positive resolve.
The comments quoted in the GQ magazine clearly are taken out of context of the conversation being held between reporter Robert Draper and me. We were conversing in general about cases and the public’s level of involvement. He specifically spoke to me about the community gatherings that were held by the MOM’s group and my response to that was I felt it was good for citizens to be involved as it demonstrated they cared about their love ones. I did say that citizens should stay on Law Enforcement to ensure their case is being thoroughly investigated.
The men and women of the Rocky Mount Police Department care about all citizens and work all cases with impartiality.
See related:
So Whose Fault Is It The Girls Of Rocky Mount Were Lost?
The Lost Girls of Rocky Mount – WNCT TV 9
Memorial service staged to unite community
Murdered and Missing Women
