Georgia mayor who fired town's entire police force resigns, citing family health concerns'

A mayor in Cohutta, Georgia resigned shortly after dismissing the entire local police department. The resignation letter dated 15 May cited health concerns affecting family members outside the town and stated the decision was made with immediate effect. The mayor had fired the police chief and ten officers by 6 May, and the town posted notice that the police department was dissolved, directing residents to a county non-emergency number. The firings followed social media comments and allegations involving the mayor’s wife, Pam, who had been fired as town clerk in January. A town council emergency meeting on 8 May voted to reinstate the police department, with the town attorney saying the mayor’s actions did not follow policies.

"In a 15 May resignation letter that the Guardian reviewed, Ron Shinnick avoided mentioning his attempted termination of the Cohutta police department, word of which gained international media attention. The letter instead said Shinnick had opted to vacate the mayoral post he had held since 2014 due to health concerns faced by family members outside Cohutta. This decision was not made lightly, Shinnick wrote in his resignation letter, to which he assigned immediate effect. But I believe it is in the best interest of both the town and myself at this time."

"Shinnick, 70, had dismissed Cohutta's police chief and 10 officers by 6 May. A sign posted in the town of roughly 930 people announced the dissolution of its police department and advised anyone in need of help to call a non-emergency county government telephone number. Later, Shinnick said he acted against the police department over some comments that officers made on social media. A police sergeant maintained the matter involved a complaint officers had raised about Shinnick's wife, Pam, who had served as the town's clerk before being fired in January."

"The local news outlet WTVC reported that Pam Shinnick had grappled with accusations of fostering a hostile work environment. A formal complaint also purported that she retained access to payroll systems and other sensitive data including officers' personal information despite her firing. Cohutta's town council held an emergency meeting on 8 May at which members voted to reinstate the police department. Prior to the vote, the town attorney, Bryan Rayburn, had maintained that Ron Shinnick's actions with respect to the local police force did not follow the policies and procedur"

Read at www.theguardian.com