Following the collective resignation of the entire police force, a small southeastern Minnesota city might find itself without a functioning police department.
Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck revealed during a City Council meeting on Monday that the Goodhue Police Department tendered their resignations due to concerns about the city’s compensation. The meeting was originally scheduled to address potential salary enhancements for the department. However, it quickly took an unforeseen turn as the entire team resigned prior to any such discussions taking place.
“Since the resignations have been handed in by our police department, it has been recommended by our city attorney that at this point we need to pursue our other options,” Buck said. “So, at this point, there’s no reason to really talk about pay increases, since we no longer have a police force.”
During a council meeting, Police Chief Josh Smith said that the police department had received no applications for new recruits. He also revealed that various other law enforcement agencies were actively attempting to recruit both him and his fellow colleagues.
“So 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. That’s it,” Smith said. “Unless you guys do a dramatic change.”
Nevertheless, Buck says that she has communicated with the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office. She has arranged a meeting to address the matter of temporary police coverage for the city.
