MONTGOMERY — At a Friday press conference, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed elaborated that Police Chief Darryl Albert's resignation came during an investigation into sexual harassment and other issues surrounding morale in the Montgomery Police Department.
Albert resigned on Thursday, two years after taking over as the city’s police chief.
Albert was placed on leave two months after a former female Montgomery Police Department (MPD) officer accused Albert of retaliation for refusing his sexual advances.
In March, Renee Helton, a former MPD officer, said she was fired from the MPD after a period of poor treatment for refusing to engage in a sexual relationship with Albert. She claims her termination came months after filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint against the department.
Reed stated that Helton’s complaint was not the cause of his being placed on leave or his eventual resignation. Reed also said that morale issues influenced Albert’s resignation. Reed stated that Albert was initially on paid leave. However, Albert will not receive severance.
“We thank Chief Albert and his family for their service to Montgomery,” Reed said. “We thank him for his leadership over the last couple of years and the positive things he did with the administration.”
He continued, “That said, we do know there were issues retaining officers. Those issues are not just a local issue, those issues are also statewide. That presents a problem for any leader who is trying to have the best organization they can. Recruitment and retention of our police officers have to be at the very top of our list, and they certainly are. But also, culture is a part of that; making sure that we have a positive culture within our organizations across this administration is something that is so desperately needed.”
Reed gave very little detail but said Albert’s leave came after he was part of an active investigation conducted by the criminal investigations department. Reed said no more than one case of sexual harassment was investigated. Reed also said that he was only made aware of the sexual harassment report within the past month, contradicting Helton’s claim that Reed was made aware of the sexual harassment complaint on Aug. 4, 2023.
“What [Helton] submitted, what her attorney submitted, we get a lot of those, was a letter saying that there was an issue with the police chief,” he explained. “And so, we get a lot of those. What I go off of is not innuendo, is not what an attorney sends to me, or is not what someone may be hinting at to the city itself. What I go after is, what do we have knowledge of criminal investigations, and what decisions do I have to make.”
“Her issue had nothing to do with this investigation. Officer Helton was terminated because she did not do things in her job as a police officer. It had nothing to do with this investigation. It happened prior to that,” Reed continued.
Before taking the position in Montgomery, an employee with the New Orleans Police Department alleged that Albert used "intimidation and retaliation to implant fear into the employees" while employed as the commander of the crime lab in the NOPD.
According to Reed, Albert’s law enforcement references were credible before his taking over in 2022.
“We found those references to be very strong, and we thought that was certainly appropriate,” Reed said. “And certainly looking at some of the others that applied, we found that he had the best resume. He was recommended number-one by that task force that included former law enforcement officers as well as current federal law officers as well.”
He continued, “We had no finality in any report of anything being corroborated during his previous time.”
Reed said they will begin the search for a new police chief while MPD deputy chief John Hall serves in an interim capacity.
“We will pretty much take the same approach we did last time,” Reed said. “We will work with law enforcement professionals whom we trust. We will post the job itself in a number of days and weeks, and we will ask community leaders to advise us on those candidates as we get those resumes once we get to a certain point.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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