Police union writes letter of support for suspended Roanoke Rapids chief

The North Carolina Police Benevolent Association (NCPBA) has come out in support of Bobby Martin, the Roanoke Rapids police chief suspended from that job last month.

Martin and Capt. Jamie Hardy were placed on administrative leave on March 10, and rumors have swirled about allegations against them. But neither the men nor city representatives – including City Manager Kelly Traynham, city attorney Geoffrey Davis or members of city council – have offered a concrete reason for the suspension.

Traynham has said both Martin and Hary are on an indefinite leave, and neither man would be paid for the duration of that leave.

NCPBA issued a statement of support for Martin saying the organization "is providing legal representation to Chief Martin and will continue to support him as he has supported the City of Roanoke Rapids.

"For years he has worked tirelessly to protect the citizens of Roanoke Rapids, investigating suspected criminal activity without regard to political consequences," the group wrote of Martin.

Traynham said the lack of public information is "necessary to allow completion of the internal investigation in a thorough manner and so that it could be kept as confidential as possible, both to protect the integrity of the investigation itself, and out of respect for our employees’ privacy rights."

Richardson & Davis Investigative Consulting Group will "perform an internal investigation of one or more allegations and/or policy violations involving the RRPD," Traynham said, but did not detail what those allegations or policy violations entail.