JONESBORO — Several Jonesboro Police officers were recently ordered to stop wearing bracelets perceived as being part of Jonesboro Mayor Donya Sartor’s re-election campaign, but the officers were later told it was OK to wear the bracelets.
In a Sept. 29 email sent to all police officers, Police Chief Tommy Henderson wrote that it was brought to his attention that a few officers wore a bracelet that contains Sartor’s slogan of “Community Matters.”
“A couple of supervisors, in an effort to act within the policy asked the officers to remove the bracelet,” Henderson wrote. “It has been ordered by Mayor Sartor that all employees who wish to wear the bracelet, be allowed to wear it. This is effective immediately. If you have questions, please feel free to contact your supervisor.”
Sartor also sent an email on Sept. 29 giving the OK for the officers to wear the bracelets.
“Just for clarification, wearing the bracelets are not in violation of policy,” Sartor wrote. “The action taken by the supervisors, although not malice in any way, was a gross misinterpretation of the policy.”
Sartor said in an Oct. 5 interview that she met with the Police Department’s command staff to discuss the issue. She added that the bracelets are part of the city’s mayoral and city branding and were not connected with her campaign.
She said the bracelets are given out at events to the public and to city employees, if they want them.
“Everything I do they perceive as campaigning,” Sartor said of the allegations on her using her position for her re-election campaign.
The city of Jonesboro has a policy against employees campaigning on the job or using city resources to do so.
“Employees of the city of Jonesboro are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and/or participate in electoral politics where appropriate,” the policy states. “However, such activity must occur…
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