Police in a Georgia city are baffled after everyone but one was immediately ordered to surrender their guns and badges without any explanation.
Officers in Warm Springs were notified last month that they were being suspended, while their chief Emilio Quintana has been fired.
A Facebook post announcing the decision has only deepened the mystery and raised even more questions.
“The decision to terminate Chief Quintana and suspend the police department was made after careful consideration of recent events and emerging concerns regarding the conduct and activities within the department,” the statement said.
The police are currently investigating the case through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, but authorities are remaining mum on the exact focus.
Police in a Georgia town are baffled after all but one were asked to immediately surrender their guns and badges, with little explanation. Pictured: Fired police chief Emilio Quintana
However, the disciplinary action follows an anonymous tip about police officers, including former chief Quintana, using their patrol cars for work outside of working hours. Constitution of Atlanta Magazine reported.
The sender, who signed off as a “concerned citizen,” also alleged that many Warm Springs officers took the job only so they could take on more lucrative work outside of work hours.
“Most of the officers who work for Warm Springs are there because they are hired to do their work off-duty,” the email said. “This is a routine occurrence that is allowed to occur at the direction of the chief.”
Warm Springs has a population of 450. That works out to about one police officer for every 33 residents, compared to the state average of 164 officers per capita.
Many police officers work part-time or only a few shifts, allowing them to retain their arrest powers.
Before the controversy, Warm Springs was best known as President Roosevelt’s residence in preparation for his inauguration. The former presidential residence was later called the “Little White House.”
According to data from USA.com, the city also has a lower crime rate than the Georgia average and the rest of the country, ranking 87th out of 336 cities in the state.
Mayor Robyn Pynenburg detailed the allegations against him in a letter to Quintana and within a week Quintana was fired.
His staff were suspended, although it was stated that this was not a disciplinary measure.
Warm Springs Mayor Robyn Pynenburg informed police that most were suspended after allegations that police cars were used for off-duty work
The only employee of the 13 serving Warm Springs currently still in his post is recently hired Aisha Al-Khalifa, who has been named interim chief
The only employee of the 13 who serve the city who is currently still on duty is Aisha Al-Khalifa, who was hired as a sergeant in November and is now interim chief.
However, the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office said the suspensions have not had much of an impact on day-to-day operations, saying officers in Warm Springs were rarely on duty when reports came in.
In another strange twist, the anonymous email was sent just two days after a former Warm Springs officer filed a lawsuit against Quintana and the city of Warm Springs, alleging wrongful termination.
Sean Thompson claimed he was fired after raising concerns about problems he was having with another staff member.
Thompson alleged in the lawsuit that there was discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment.
He told 11 Alive He was fired on May 20 for alleged insubordination after he spoke out.
“You know, I feel like I’ve been totally ignored,” Thompson said, adding that he filed his lawsuit on June 10.
“I want my name cleared. I want my background cleared,” he explained.
Mayor Pynenburg with Warm Springs officials, including now-fired Chief Quintana
The decision also came after another former police officer filed a lawsuit against the city for wrongful termination.
Former officer Sean Thompson claimed he was wrongly dismissed after raising concerns about a colleague
“I didn’t expect it to get this far, but like I said, some things have been revealed, other things have been revealed, I think it was just meant to be.”
The police department is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at its own request. The GBI case will look into allegations of criminality.
Quintana is also being investigated by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, though the agency admits it does not know exactly what is expected of her.
“At this point we still don’t have full clarity on a lot of this,” said Director Mike Ayers.
The local population is also dismayed and is expressing their concerns via social media.
“What the hell is going on in Warm Springs?” one woman wrote. “I just saw on the news in Atlanta that the entire police force AND the chief were fired and/or suspended. Wow, something must be bad.”
“Who knows what’s going on?” someone else added. “They fired the whole police force, the fucking police are in trouble, what the hell? That’s insane.”
“This is crazy,” someone agreed.
“Our primary commitment is the safety and well-being of our community,” said Mayor Pynenburg.
“We take these matters very seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation to address any issues within our police department. We ask for the community’s patience and support as we work toward transparency and fairness.”
‘The municipality is committed to conducting a fair and thorough investigation and will keep the public informed of any significant developments.’
Mystery as city fires police chief, suspends entire police force except one officer