HAMLET — Hamlet City Councilman Eddie Martin received a surprise courtesy of Richmond Community College at the City Council meeting Tuesday night in the form of a scholarship being named in his honor.
The Eddie R. Martin Law Enforcement Leadership Scholarship will be in the amount of $1,000 and be divided between two students enrolled or accepted into the Criminal Justice Curriculum Program at RCC with a 2.0 GPA or higher, according to RCC. The recipients must be residents of either Richmond or Scotland counties and preference will be given to second-year students.
If the scholarship is awarded to a first-year student, it is renewable for a second year as long as the student meets the criteria. Recommendations will come from the college’s Criminal Justice instructors.
Martin was in the Marine Corps from 1962 to 1966 and after four years with the Charlotte Police Department, was named Chief of Police of the Rockingham Police Department, a position he held from 1975 to 2002. He then served as a magistrate from 2002 to 2007. Dr. Dale McInnis, president of RCC, and Hal Shuler, associate vice president of development for RCC, presented Martin with the honor.
Martin said he had no knowledge or the scholarship and was amazed it was kept a secret.
“It completely caught me by surprise — I had no idea,” Martin said after the meeting Tuesday. “To whoever was behind getting me nominated or approved or whatever it might be, it’s a great honor and I appreciated it very much. I look forward to presenting someone with this … I would always recommend any young person who wants to get into law enforcement. It’s a great future, it’s a great field, but you’ve got to want to do it.”
Mayor Pro Tem Jesse McQueen congratulated Martin, saying his only regret is that he never got to work for him as a policeman.
“Dr. McInnis introduced (Martin) as Chief and then councilman — that’s always going to be the Chief, always,” McQueen said.
Other business
The council discussed the ongoing complaints to the city of “viscous” — as McQueen described them — stray dogs which have reportedly threatened or attacked numerous residents. McQueen described a recent incident in which he was on a run and heard three gun shots go off.
After investigating, McQueen found a man who had killed a stray dog that attacked him and his own dog.
“With everything that we’ve done to improve the quality of life in Hamlet, to try to make things look better, that to me is a thing that needs attention quickly,” McQueen said.
The council agreed to look at hiring a new animal control officer in the next fiscal year, and McQueen recommended enlisting off-duty officers to assist in responding to animal complaints in the meantime.
Chief Tommy McMasters said HPD receives “countless” calls about dogs. There have been 15 calls in November, according to McMasters.
McMasters said they have not yet issued citations to the dogs’ owners but added that he recently spoke to City Manager Jonathan Blanton who has given the “green light” for more harsh measures to be taken against those who let dogs run loose.
The chief also said that the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to train HPD officers on how to handle animal complaints.