Ward 4 Alderman Johnny Phillips made it clear during Monday night’s board meeting that he wants to see a change in leadership at the Indianola Police Department.
After a series of motions related to 1099 city employees, Phillips zeroed in on IPD Chief Ronald Sampson and City Attorney Mack Arthur Turner with a motion to terminate both.
The move did not come without resistance from Mayor Ken Featherstone, Sampson and some IPD officers. The back-and-forth eventually resulted in NAACP President Charles Modley, speaking from the front row in the audience, getting removed from the meeting.
Phillips’ written motion initially applied to all city contractors, which would have included Sampson, Turner, Assistant Police Chief Ernest Gilson, Brown & Associates, Gardner Engineering and others.
After some discussion on the broader 1099 issue, it became clear that Sampson and Turner were the main targets, and Phillips adjusted his motion to reflect that.
Sampson has served as chief since the spring of 2022, and Turner joined as interim city attorney last summer. He has since been hired as the permanent city attorney.
Turner cautioned that Phillips’ proposal could be costly and disruptive, potentially affecting the city engineer and other professional service providers while triggering additional expenses for benefits, retirement and workers’ compensation.
He also cautioned the board against relying on the legal analysis in Phillips’ supporting packet, a document that he said may not have been prepared by an attorney.
Phillips responded that the city is “being cheated” by 1099 arrangements and argued that Sampson and Turner are not giving the city “100%.”
Relying heavily on complaints from residents, he said shootings are at an “all‑time high” and said he has no confidence in the chief or the city attorney.
Featherstone and Sampson disputed those claims, pointing to crime statistics that they said show Indianola’s gun homicide rate is lower than that of several neighboring Delta communities.
Sampson told the aldermen that official data does not support the assertion that shootings are worse than ever and said he believes the department has only a small number of unsolved homicides.
Officer Markricus “Bo” Hibbler, who once served as Indianola's police chief and is now a supervisor at the Indianola Police Department, spoke in support of Sampson.
He described long shifts, a staff of about eight officers on the street at any given time and the challenge of responding to unpredictable gun violence.
Hibbler said some nearby departments are offering significantly higher pay, some around $60,000 for basic patrol officers, and credited Sampson’s leadership and work environment with helping Indianola retain younger officers despite those pressures.
The meeting also featured a confrontation that led to NAACP’s Modley’s removal from the chamber.
Hibbler was at the podium speaking in support of Sampson when the chief turned toward Modley in the audience, made a comment and pointed in his direction.
Modley responded from his seat, and the exchange escalated into a three‑way back‑and‑forth among Sampson, Hibbler and Modley as voices rose and tempers flared.
With the room growing louder and order slipping, Featherstone directed officers to remove Modley, saying, “somebody escort Mr. Modley out. Get him out of here.”
Modley is a longtime critic of Sampson and leadership in general at the Indianola Police Department.
District 2 Supervisor Riley Rice, a former alderman, stood from his front‑row seat and addressed the board from the audience.
Rice reminded the board that Mississippi is an at‑will employment state in which appointed employees can be removed “for good reasons, bad reasons or no reason.”
He said that once a motion is properly made and seconded, the mayor’s role is to carry out the board’s will rather than block it.
Featherstone repeatedly said Phillips’ motion needed “more discussion” and suggested he could withhold a vote, but meeting rules generally require that a motion and second eventually be put before the board for a decision
At first, Ward 5 Alderman Rodreigus Young’s second was not consistent with Phillips’ motion. He later properly seconded the motion, which was to fire Sampson and Turner.
The roll call on Phillips’ motion to terminate Sampson highlighted the board’s split.
Ward 1 Alderman Alex Deason voted “no,” and Ward 2 Alderman Keith Spealman also voted “no.”
When the roll reached Ward 3 Alderman Calvin Moton, he pondered his vote for over a minute before choosing to abstain.
Phillips then voted “yes,” and Young also voted “yes.”
Initially, Turner told the board the abstention should be treated as siding with the affirmative, and Featherstone announced he would veto what he described as a 3–2 vote to terminate the chief.
Later in the meeting, just before the board went into executive session, Turner returned to the issue and clarified that there had been two “no” votes, two “yes” votes and one abstention, that the abstention “doesn’t count” toward either side and that the motion “would have failed on the floor.”
That effectively removed the need for a veto.
The meeting ended without a final decision on Phillips’ broader 1099 proposal.
Featherstone said more analysis and discussion are needed before any major changes are to be made.
