William “Bill” Spearmen will be sworn in as the new Abbeville Chief of Police later this summer.
Spearman: New chief in Abbeville
On July 1, William “Bill” Spearman takes office as the new police chief for Abbeville.
With 38 years of law enforcement beneath his belt, Spearman’s plans for the city that has been drawn out for many years, and now is his chance to watch those plans unfold, one of which includes creating community action groups as his top priority.
In his announcement to run for Chief of Police, Spearman credited his long list of experience in law enforcement as the perfect candidate for the position.
“I am prepared to be the next Chief of Police and can think of no greater privilege than to serve the great citizens and community of Abbeville,” Spearman said.
Spearman, in his earlier years of experience, was involved with several law enforcement and Community Organizations such as Louisiana DARE Officers Association, Louisiana Association of Crisis Negotiators, and The Vermilion Parish Domestic Violence Intervention Board, just to name a few.
“I am a devoted Christian and know that without God, none of this would be possible,” Spearman said. “Since I was very young, I have wanted to be a Police Officer. In 1984, this dream came true when I became an auxiliary patrolman and then full time officer with the Abbeville Police Department.”
Upon winning the election, Spearman discusses what is next once he is officially the new police chief.
“First, I want to have our community behind us again, that’s going to be one of my biggest priorities,” Spearman said. “We cannot accomplish much without having everyone on board including our Police Department and our community; we could surely come together with having the same goals in mind to make our city great again.”
Some of Spearman’s plans include implementing a mentoring program for the city’s children as well as having an open door policy on behalf of the department.
With the crime rate for the city being too high for comfort, Spearman’s plan to bring back the neighborhood watch program would be a step in ensuring civilians, as well as visitors, a safe place to live or visit.
Spearman promises to work diligently in creating a TIPS line. A TIPS line would aid the department tremendously, allowing the community to report any unusual or illegal activity anonymously, prompting an investigation in order to bring the crime rate down.
Another proposition that Spearman is passionate about is creating activities and programs for our youth community as well as having a mentoring program. A mentoring program would allow minors to be a part of a positive program if they are first time offenders or before they become offenders. It would be a program for mentors to show an interest in troubled minors, understand the reasons behind the trouble, and create a step by step community service which would include tutoring.
“There are several different aspects that we would like to explore,” Spearman said, “so once everything is in place, the community will know all of the ins and outs of this particular program. I think it would be a great idea to bring in mentors who have been through this sort of program, maybe, or people who have had hardships as a juvenile, as a stepping stone to build a better future.”
Spearman’s motto has always been “Together we can make Abbeville safe again.” He wishes to have everyone’s support, being on one page with fellow officials, otherwise, these plans will not be able to pan out.
“I’d like to thank God,” Spearman said, “because without God I couldn’t have won, my family who had the patience for me while I was running, as well as the community for their support and for standing behind me.
“Without the community I couldn’t be in the position I am now.”
