Current:Home > FinanceOklahoma small town police chief and entire police department resign with little explanation -Excel Money Vision
Oklahoma small town police chief and entire police department resign with little explanation
View
Date:2025-04-18 14:44:39
The police chief and three officers that make up the entire four-person police department of the town of Geary, Oklahoma, and two of the town’s city council members have resigned with little explanation.
Former Police Chief Alicia Ford did not address the specific reasons for the Thursday resignations, but wrote in a social media post that the decision was difficult.
“It is with great sadness that I and the rest of the Geary police officers will no longer be serving this community,” Ford wrote, “but it was the right decision for me and the other officers.”
Ford, without elaboration, encouraged residents of the town of nearly 1,000 about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Oklahoma City to become acquainted with the city council “and to be as involved as possible in the city, especially attending the city council meetings.”
Ford did not immediately return a phone message for comment on Saturday.
A woman who answered a phone call to a number listed for Mayor Waylan Upchego on Saturday said “not at this time” when a reporter asked to speak with Upchego about the resignations.
The city, in a statement, thanked the former chief and officers while wishing them well and said an interim police chief has been chosen and that the Blaine County and Canadian County sheriffs’ offices will assist in patrolling the town.
“We would like to let our citizens know we are conducting business as usual,” according to the statement. “If you have an emergency, please contact 911 like you normally would and an officer will be dispatched to assist you.”
City Council members Glen “Rocky” Coleman Jr. and Kristy Miller also announced their resignations, leaving the four-person council with just one member due to a previous vacancy.
Coleman wrote on social media that his values do not match the city’s direction and said communication between the administration and council “has been significantly lacking,” but offered no further explanation.
“Council members are just about the last to know something,” Coleman wrote. “There are often times that I would not know something (is planned) until the meeting started.”
Miller did not immediately return a phone call to a number listed for her.
The city did not identify the interim chief, but JJ Stitt — who described himself as a 27-year law enforcement veteran, as a county deputy, a member of a task force investigating internet crimes against children and a distant cousin of Gov. Kevin Stitt — told The Oklahoman that he is the interim chief.
Stitt did not return a phone call to a number listed for him, but told the newspaper that he hopes to add officers in the coming days. He said he has “the ability” to pick up the phone and get experienced officers over to the town to help out.
“I’ve been in the game a long time,” Stitt said.
The resignations come more than a year after the entire police department of the small town of Goodhue, Minnesota, resigned over low pay.
veryGood! (49674)
Related
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- 3 reasons to buy Berkshire Hathaway stock like there's no tomorrow
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Paper Hat
- Track and field's decision to award prize money to Olympic gold medalists criticized
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Once a fringe Indian ideology, Hindu nationalism is now mainstream, thanks to Modi’s decade in power
- Christina Hendricks Marries George Bianchini in New Orleans Wedding
- Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy dies months after being injured in fire inside mobile gun range
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- U.S. sanctions two entities over fundraising for extremist West Bank settlers who attacked Palestinians
Ranking
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Schools keep censoring valedictorians. It often backfires — here's why they do it anyway.
- 'Antisemitism and anarchy': Rabbi urges Jewish students to leave Columbia for their safety
- Texas boy was 7 when he fatally shot a man he didn't know, child tells law enforcement
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- With interest rate cuts delayed, experts offer tips on how to maximize your 401(k)
- Vice President Harris to reveal final rules mandating minimum standards for nursing home staffing
- Kevin Costner 'loved' John Mulaney's 'Field of Dreams' Oscars bit: 'He was a genius'
Recommendation
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend, but it may be hard to see it
Prehistoric lake sturgeon is not endangered, US says despite calls from conservationists
Israel strikes Iran with a missile, U.S. officials say, as Tehran downplays Netanyahu's apparent retaliation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
With ugly start, the Houston Astros' AL dynasty is in danger. But they know 'how to fight back'
'American Idol' recap: Two contestants are eliminated during the Top 12 reveal
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life