A small Minnesota city will soon be without its police force after the executive and several other different officers all resigned, officers mentioned.
The Goodhue City Council licensed the resignations of the executive, a full-time officer and 5 part-time officers all through a different assembly on Monday that used to be to begin with meant to deal with pay will increase.
“At this point there’s no reason to really talk about pay increases since we no longer have a police force,” Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck mentioned on the most sensible of the meeting.
A Goodhue police automotive is parked outdoor City Hall on Aug. 14, 2023, in Goodhue, Minn. The small the city will soon be without a police division, an exodus spurred by way of low pay for the executive and his officers.
Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune by means of AP
Goodhue Police Chief Josh Smith and the opposite officers submitted their resignations remaining week, the mayor mentioned. Smith didn’t right away reply to a request for remark from ABC News.
During a city council meeting on July 26, Smith expressed frustrations in making an attempt to rent officers and argued that the wage wasn’t aggressive sufficient.
“Right now with our current, trying to hire at $22 an hour, you’re never going to see another person again walk through those doors,” Smith informed the council individuals. “Unless you guys do a dramatic change.”
Smith mentioned small police departments rent beginning at $30 an hour, and that Goodhue lacks different incentives corresponding to signing bonuses. He mentioned his part-time officers had been running for the dept in large part as a “personal favor.”
The city of Goodhue, Minn., will be without a police division when their resignations grow to be professional on Aug. 23, 2023.
KSTP
Former part-time Goodhue police officer Matt Disbrow informed Rochester, Minnesota, ABC affiliate KAAL that he and different officers left for the reason that leader resigned.
“We were really there for him, more so than needing a part-time job,” Disbrow informed the station. “So with him going, there really wasn’t any need for us to stick around.”
Mayor Anderson Buck mentioned Smith and one different full-time officer are staying on thru Aug. 24, and that the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office will take over calls and investigations from that time on.
“I want to reiterate that we will have police coverage in the city of Goodhue,” Anderson Buck mentioned all through Monday’s assembly. “That is not an issue.”
The Goodhue council convenes for a different assembly to deal with the police division in Goodhue, Minn. The small the city will soon be without a police division, an exodus spurred by way of low pay for the executive and his officers.
Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune by means of AP
Anderson Buck informed newshounds the improvement used to be “heartbreaking.”
“We are going to rise above this, and I’m confident that we will have a police department again,” she mentioned.
Goodhue is situated about 63 miles southeast of Minneapolis, with a inhabitants of simply over 1,000, in accordance to the city.
Following Monday’s city council assembly, Goodhue industry proprietor Lydia Strusz informed Twin Cities ABC affiliate KSTP that the loss of a police force used to be “unnerving.”
“I just prefer Goodhue having their own police department,” Strusz informed the station.
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