An embattled police chief in the Village of Ferrelview received support from some community members after recent allegations came to light of him using excessive force and misconduct.
Backlash from a community meeting held Saturday, May 21 in Ferrelview, Mo. recently surfaced with multiple residents expressing distrust with individuals who have called out Daniel Clayton, head of the village’s police department for less than a year. The response dismisses concerns, saying he is a firm but fair officer trying to maintain a sense of security in a small town.
The May 21 meeting gathered nearly 30 Platte County residents who each claimed to have a story about a negative encounter with Clayton. With proceedings led by attorney Dennis Rowland, the assembly discussed options for residents who felt that their civil rights had been violated.
Brooks Moseley, a resident of Ferrelview, disregarded those concerns in conversations this week with The Citizen. He believes that the May meeting created an unwarranted call for Clayton’s job, and those in support of the chief have now started making an attempt to organize.
“I’ve never had a bad experience with Clayton,” Moseley said. “In the 12 years that I’ve lived here, he’s been the best officer by far.”
Moseley said he previously had concerns with alleged criminal activities of past Ferrelview law enforcement members. He goes on to say that he didn’t even feel comfortable taking his children to the nearby park before Clayton’s tenure, expressing fears with village-wide crime.
“I’m not doing this because I consider (Clayton) a friend,” Moseley said, “I’m doing this because I sleep better at night knowing he’s here.”
Moseley suggests that the individuals who are accusing Clayton of misconduct are part of a minority in Platte County, saying that the vast majority of Ferrelview residents “just want to live their lives in peace and not cause any trouble.” He views the publicity associated with this movement to remove Clayton helps further a negative perception of Ferrelview, a village with a population of about 450 located east of KCI Airport.
The north side and west side of the village, Moseley said, are where the majority Platte County Sheriff’s Office calls originate. He believes the current police chief and Ferrelview Board of Trustees are working to deter crime in those areas.
“I feel safer knowing he is out there watching over us all,” Moseley wrote, in an email to The Citizen. “I think if you even went door to door asking people who live in the southern half of our village you would find a lot of people who would agree with me.”
Moseley also expressed concerns with the credibility of some of the individuals from the May meeting.
“When people don’t get the answers they want, they wreak havoc,” Moseley said while also questioning the validity of their claims, pointing out that many of those in attendance do not live in Ferrelview. “I want to show what the residents of Ferrelview really believe, not just one side of the story.”
The allegations against Clayton include a variety of actions.
One citizen said he was placed in handcuffs and removed of his service weapon during a routine traffic stop. Another citizen said Clayton recently filed for a protection order against her for unknown reasons after she and her boyfriend received multiple traffic violations from him. A Ferrelview resident said she spent the night in a Platte County jail cell because of a failure to obey a lawful order charge.
All three stories were detailed during interviews The Citizen recently conducted. The head of Ferrelview’s Board of Trustees has still yet to respond to a request for comment.
Prior to the May meeting, concerned citizens attempted to express frustration with Clayton during the May board of trustees meeting. The contentious proceedings were eventually canceled after Clayton asked for Platte County Sheriff’s Office deputies to respond to the scene.
Some at the meeting believed excessive force was used in removing citizens from City Hall.
Tara Borron, who lives just outside of Ferrelview, filed for an order of protection against Clayton after the chief reportedly harassed her and her boyfriend. That order was not upheld, and she and her boyfriend later received a request for an order of protection from Clayton.
A Platte County judge threw out that request during a hearing held last week.
Ferrelview municipal court hearings are scheduled for Monday, June 6, and the next board of trustees meeting will be Tuesday, June 14. Citizens on both sides of the issues are likely to show up seeking to again publicly comment on this ongoing controversy.