Goodhue Minnesota’s ENTIRE police department quits over pay dispute blindsiding mayor and small town’s 1,300 residents
ENTIRE Goodhue Minnesota Police Force Shuts Down Over Pay Dispute Blinding Mayor and Small Town’s 1,300 Residents
- Goodhue, a small Minnesota town of just 1,300 residents, will be without a police force
- Six officers resigned in protest to follow their chief in a pay dispute
- Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson-Buck said she was “blindsided” by the move
The small town of Goodhue, Minnesota, will be left without a police force after the entire department resigned in protest when the chief left his post over poor pay.
Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson-Buck said on Monday she was “blindsided” by the move and the small community of just 1,300 says they were “floored” by the decision.
The police chief, Josh Smith, said there is no end in sight as he has not had a single applicant to fill the vacancies.
He previously complained about the poor pay offered to officers, which was $22 an hour in Goodhue, while warning the city’s council that “no one is in the game.”
“If you want to keep PD, and this is something we want to continue with, something drastic and drastic has to change, and it has to happen now,” he said.
The entire Goodhue Police Department – consisting of a chief, a full-time officer and five part-time officers – has resigned
Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson-Buck said she was “blindsided” by the move
The massive layoffs came after a meeting of Goodhue City Council on Monday night and a discussion about pay increases for the police. The resignation was accepted at the meeting and the entire force was due to leave on 24 August.
Smith had indicated his intention to resign weeks earlier when he told officials he was unable to find new recruits and was losing prospects for major cities.
He told the city council that he had been personally offered a job in a city and that his own efforts to find more officers for Goodhue fell on deaf ears.
“I called every police force to ask if the youngest boys would be involved. No one is involved,” he said.
When Smith resigned, it was a decision that led the city’s only full-time officer, Anthony Brecht, and five part-time officers to follow suit.
But for locals worried they’ll live in lawlessness, Anderson-Buck assured the city it would have police coverage.
“That’s no problem… they will respond to calls,” she said, noting conversations she had with the Goodhue Sheriff’s Office.
The mayor added that while she was “a little blindsided” by the loss of her police station, the city was “resilient and we are moving forward.”
City residents praised the police for providing “excellent safety and security” in the small community of about 1,300
City officials planned the loss of their prospective officers to nearby towns
With the small town losing all seven officers, the Goodhue police chief admitted he can’t find anyone to fill the vacancies because ‘no one comes into play’
Smith said he will continue to serve in his position as chief until Aug. 24, when all of his officers decide to leave the force with him.
Residents criticized the police loss, with one telling NBC News she was “floored” by the news.
Another said the police will be missed in the community, which has a low crime rate, saying: ‘I can probably speak for everyone when I say they have provided our community with excellent safety and security. And the small town policing they did, we want that back.”
Goodhue police did not immediately respond when reached for comment.