The town of Gibsonville disciplined one employee – a police sergeant, for “creating a hostile work environment” and failing to activate his body-worn camera during a traffic stop – during the 2023-24 fiscal year that ended on June 30.
The information was revealed in the town’s response to a public records request by The Alamance News, seeking personnel records for all current and former employees who had been subject to disciplinary actions during the 2023-24 fiscal year that ended June 30.
Alamance News publisher Tom Boney, Jr. requested the personnel information for all current and former city employees who had been dismissed, demoted, suspended, or fired between July 1, 2023 and June 28, 2024, the date on which the public records request was filed with the town of Gibsonville.
On August 29, 2023, Gibsonville police sergeant Travis Sykes, 49, had been placed on unpaid suspension for three days for violating the rules of conduct by creating an abusive work environment and failing to turn on his police bodycam, according to Eric Gerringer, who is the human resources officer for the town of Gibsonville.
The town’s response to the public records request gave no details about the date of the traffic stop, when Sykes failed to activate his police bodycam. Nor did it give any details concerning the “hostile work environment” that resulted in his being suspended from work for three days without pay.
Sykes; suspension actually took effect a month later – on September 25, 26, and 29, 2023 – according to information that Gerringer provided to The Alamance News two weeks ago. Sykes was also placed on a performance improvement plan, directed to seek counseling through an employee assistance program, and instructed to “apologize to certain officers,” Gerringer said.
Sykes has worked for the Gibsonville police department since April 29, 2014 and is currently employed as a police patrol supervisor. His salary is $73,338, according to the town’s HR officer.
The newspaper sought to examine and inspect “all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business” pertaining to disciplinary actions involving current and former town employees.
North Carolina law classifies certain types of information in the personnel files of local government employees as public records, including: dates of employment; any increase or decrease in compensation; dates and types of any promotion, demotion, transfer, termination, suspension, and/or dismissal, as well as a copy of the final notice of dismissal outlining the reasons for dismissal.
Gibsonville town officials said no other employees had been disciplined, demoted, suspended, or dismissed during the 2023-24 fiscal year.
