Personally, at The Whisper, we think for a whole list of reasons the Pendleton County Sheriff’s Office should take over the duties of the Falmouth Police Department. First, let’s talk about the obvious, cost savings. We’re talking about $850,000 saved for the taxpayers. That’s not pocket change, folks. But that’s not why I think this needs to happen the most. No, it isn’t because of that cute little love letter they sent us recently. Bless their hearts. The truth is simple: a house with a rotted foundation falls every single time. And make no mistake, what you’re about to read is only a small snapshot of the corruption cases tied to this department.
If I wanted to list them all, my typing fingers would be exhausted, and it would take more words than all my posts combined.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?
The Hall of Shame: 25 Years of Falmouth PD Corruption
2002-2003: Midwest Towing & The Look-the-Other-Way Special
Glenn Steinkamp and Midwest Towing had their hands deep in questionable practices, fraudulent titles, shady impound dealings, and much more. While the feds eventually came knocking, the local boys in blue? Crickets. Cozy relationships, selective enforcement, and a serious case of “I didn’t see nothing.” Not charged, but not clean either. You connect the dots.
2015: Chief Mark Posey—The King of Forged Checks
Chief Posey made history (the wrong kind) with a 73-count indictment:
Abuse of public trust, Theft, Forgery. He raided a drug task force account like it was his personal ATM.
Falmouth’s top cop caught red-handed. Embarrassing? Absolutely.
2016: Chief Benny Johnson. Fired for Being Inept
Less than a year in, Benny was booted for “lack of leadership” and “inability to work with the mayor.” Translation? The wheels were already off. Department morale was in the gutter. Another fine hire.
2021: Sergeant Mark McClure, The Wild West Incident
McClure thought it was a good idea to settle a domestic dispute by firing five shots, trashing property, and getting himself arrested for assault. An officer sworn to protect, caught acting like an outlaw. Public records get a little quiet after that. Funny, isn’t it?
2022: The Quiet Resignation Exodus
A wave of officers walked out the door. They’ll say it was “new leadership.” Whispers say otherwise. When corruption gets stifled, rats flee the ship. Simple as that.
And Let’s Not Forget Ray Dowers
One of the best officers they had in decades? Ray Dowers. Honest. Fair. Actually gave a damn about the community. So, of course, they ran him off. Can’t have good men upsetting the status quo, can we?
Time to Level the House
So here we are. A broken department with a track record of corruption, cronyism, and failure. They had their chance. Hell, they had 25 years of them. The Pendleton County Sheriff’s Office could do the job better, cheaper, and with far more integrity.
It’s not personal. It’s math. It’s accountability. It’s overdue. And for those sweating at the thought of losing their little fiefdom?
Whispers never die.
But bad foundations do.
Tick-tock.
Who wants to start the petition?