Advertisement Community outraged after Mocksville Police's 'Sgt. Butters' removed from department, social media Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Claws are out.The Facebook page of 'Sergeant Butters' was taken down and the mascot for the Mocksville Police Department is being re-homed. The decision to do so isn't sitting well with many of the residents in Mocksville.Mocksville’s Town Manager, Matt Settlemyer, says social media posts about a town council member requesting a cat to be removed are not accurate. The mayor says otherwise. The page was deactivated sometime before Monday morning.Settlemyer says the page was taken down because it was in the process of being updated. He adds Sgt. Butters needed more attention outside the department."Mocksville PD’s cat, Sarge Butters, is doing well and just needs some attention outside of the police department. The Facebook page is in the process of being updated to better serve the public and should be back online soon," said Matt Settlemyer, town manager. Settlemyer did not provide an explanation about the need for "attention outside the police department," but says Sgt. Butters will always be a fixture at the department. He confirmed Wednesday the cat is no longer at the department and will be re-homed."This is simply an effort to balance all workplace considerations," Settlemyer added.Social media posts are circulating after the Facebook page removal. A majority of them say a member of the town board requested the cat to be removed from social media and the police department. Settlemyer says that is not an accurate statement, but what the mayor told WXII 12 News on Wednesday aligns with social media claims."I called the town manager to find out what happened. Apparently, the council (member) went up there on her own and connected with the police department. According to the town manager, one of the police officers is pregnant and that's why it's been decided to take the cat out of the office," said Mayor William J. Marklin. "The council hasn't met yet. Our board meeting is on August 20. So, there has not been any action by the board on this. This was a decision made between the town manager and the police department." Sgt. Butters was introduced to the department in August of 2018."He was starving and dirty, so the Assistant Chief and I decided to let him in the building to feed him and clean him up," Maj. Koula Black wrote to WXII in August of 2018. On the first day, Black says the staff noticed something special."All the officers and MPD employees that came in contact with Sgt. Butters appeared to become more calm and a lot friendlier around the office. We decided to keep him a second day," said Black.It was the second day that Sgt. Butters was put to work."On the second day, our agency was involved in a high speed vehicle chase and four suspects were apprehended. During an interview with one of the suspects, the suspect became very upset. Sgt. Butters came into the interview and sat on the suspect’s lap. The suspect became comforted and immediately gave a statement about the incident. That’s when we knew that Sgt. Butters was one of us," said Black in the 2018 e-mail.Then Assistant Chief Pat Reagan and Black took the cat to the local vet, got him fixed up, and he has lived at the Mocksville Police Department ever since. The department continued to develop his presence into a therapy cat.The department then created a Facebook page and his presence grew fast."What began as a kitten rescue has transformed our agency’s vision into that of a community policing mission," said Black in 2018. "It’s important that our communities within the Triad understand how our agency is working and making incredible strides to become a truly devoted agency to working with our community and responding to the human impact of policing."WXII 12 News reached out to the police department for comment, but personnel have not responded to e-mails or phone messages.Many Mocksville residents are upset."That cat makes the police department a less scary place for children. I think this entire thing is ridiculous," said Kendra Smith.Whitney Hamrick echoes Smith."With so much hate, misunderstanding, and fear in the world, a cat who calls the police department home and who has a positive impact in the community deserves to keep his job. I’m sure that people in our tight-knit community will step up, even if it means raising money if the town doesn’t want to take care of him," said Hamrick.Heather Froelich admits she's not a "cat person," but applauds the work Sgt. Butters has done."I feel very strongly that Sarge Butters, serving as a ‘mascot’ for our police department makes our local law enforcement a place that’s both approachable and relatable. His page served a purpose and drew positive attention to our community and the police department," said Froelich. " I am certain his presence made a very difficult environment and job a little less stressful. With many far more important issues to manage, I’m just surprised that our town board has spent their time taking this particular action; and what’s more upsetting, it came with no explanation for the community.”Anna Beauchamp says this is unbelievable: "Sarge Butters is a light in the midst of all the darkness in this world. Maybe those powers that be should focus on what is really important in this world -- like making sure your citizens are protected, fed and sheltered. Why focus on tearing down something so positive?""The community can rest assured that Sarge Butters is well taken care of and that the Mocksville Police Department will always make decisions that are in the best interest of the community at large," Settlemyer said Wednesday. A change.org petition was started Wednesday morning. A #SaveSargeButters group on Facebook was also created. Community members say they will bring this up at the monthly board meeting on August 20 at 6 p.m. The Town of Mocksville Board of Commissioners meets in the Mocksville Town Hall located at 171 S. Clement Street.