By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer
The Corbin City Commission chose a 30-year Kentucky State Police veteran detective to head the police department as interim chief during a special meeting Friday morning.
Retired KSP Detective David Campbell was chosen from a list of two or three highly-qualified candidates, Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney said. City Manager Bill Ed Cannon requested during Monday’s regular meeting that the commission allow him to look outside the city’s police department for an interim chief.
“We felt like, that to actually get a full look or view of our department, that we should bring in an outside person,” McBurney said after Friday’s meeting. “He’s got 30 (years) experience with the state police, so that’s quite a bit of experience.”
McBurney said the city hasn’t put a time frame on how long Campbell will serve as interim-chief rather, the city will allow Campbell to “take a look at the department” and institute changes where they are needed.
Former police chief Carson Mullins retired on Feb. 6 after serving 22 years. Mullins said he felt the time had come for him to retire. Mullins had worked for the department nearly all of his adult life — starting at the department when he was 21 years old.
Campbell said after Friday’s commission meeting, that he’s happy to be out of retirement and ready to get to work improving the department.
“Right now it’s a little premature, I haven’t even met all the officers yet,” Campbell said when asked of his plans as chief. “But from the one’s (officers) I’ve spoken with and also the mayor, there’s a problem with attrition here. I think everyone is aware of that.”
Campbell said the department has lost approximately 30 officers in a time period of a little more than five years.
“So that’s going to be addressed — probably one of the first things — to see why these people are leaving. There are going to be some changes,” Campbell said. “I have no problem if an officer decides to go somewhere else, maybe for better money, better working conditions and then he decides to come back. I have no problem hiring him back.
“You know he’s already been trained. I think you’re losing a good man by turning him away.”
Campbell is planning on discussing the attrition problems with the police chiefs in Williamsburg, Barbourville and London to see if Corbin is alone in it’s retention problems.
“Maybe ours isn’t out of line, but I think it is,” Campbell said.
There will be an “open door policy” in his department, Campbell said, when it comes to interacting with other local law enforcement agencies. Campbell hopes to discuss the problems other departments in the area are having and assist them.
“This place has alienated itself over the years,” Campbell said. “...If another officer from another agency needs assistance — I have no problem with our people going to help. It’s a two-way street on that. I would expect them to help us.”
Campbell started off his law enforcement career in the early 1970s as a KSP road trooper in Laurel County. After a year in Laurel he was transferred to Whitley County, where he served as a road trooper until 1980 when he was transferred to the Narcotics Section.
Around that time he and three other troopers started a canine program — that blossomed into a state-wide program.
“We had three others who started a dog program as a hobby,” Campbell said. “It just kind of potentiated itself and we started catching people, so the state took an interest in it and decided to start a canine program.”
In 1987 Campbell said his unit merged with the Special Investigations Unit, where he worked with drug investigations. During his last three years on the job he worked with a federal task force, tracing marijuana trafficking across the country. In 2000 he retired from the force.
“I went to Florida for a little while, but I missed police work. It’s something that’s just in your system, in your blood,” Campbell said. “The day I quit, you know — you are doing 100 miles an hour, four o’clock that afternoon you’re doing zero.”
Campbell said the first three or four months after retirement — he could sleep late, and make his own schedule. Campbell did some work in the private sector, but said it never matched the satisfaction he got from police work.
Then a couple months ago, Campbell said the mayor contacted him and asked him if he would be interested in working for the department if the position became vacant.
“I thought about it, and the (department) needs some help,” Campbell said. “The system, the police department here, they look good on the outside — they look good and healthy, but they are in pretty bad shape on the inside, they are not on life support yet, but now they’ve got some problems that will be fixed.”
Campbell said he has interest in staying on as permanent chief if all goes well.
There will be changes at the department, Campbell said, but those changes won’t be implemented without the officers input. During his days at the KSP Campbell said the state would change the color of uniforms and cruisers, changed what type of weapons troopers would us — sometimes without consulting the troopers.
“They would call you from Frankfort and say this is what you’re going to start using in the morning,” Campbell said. “So I would like the men here to have a voice in all of our changes.”
Just a few minutes into his official term as interim chief, Campbell said the changes he plans to make will not be short-term fixes.
“I’m not going to put a band-aid on anything and shove it in the drawer and forget about it,” Campbell said.
