The mayor of the small town of Cohutta has dissolved the entire local police department and fired all personnel following a controversy involving his wife.
According to WDEF and the New York Post, Mayor Ron Shinnick closed the Cohutta Police Department and laid off all 10 employees earlier this week.
A sign posted on the door of the police department on Wednesday morning read:
“The police department has been dissolved and all personnel have been terminated.”
According to reports, the cause stemmed from several officers allegedly posting “inappropriate” comments on Facebook regarding Pam Shinnick — the mayor's wife.
The controversy began late last month when several officers filed formal complaints about Pam Shinnick continuing to work for the town despite having been previously fired.
Mrs. Pam had been terminated last year following allegations of creating a “hostile work environment” in the town of fewer than 1,000 residents.
The officers were also concerned that she still had access to the town's personal information and confidential documents.
Following the complaints, Mayor Ron Shinnick had held a press conference with Police Chief Greg Fowler and the town attorney to announce that the issue had been resolved through “open dialogue.”
However, only about a week later, the entire police force was fired.
Sergeant Jeremy May, one of the officers who lost his job, stated:
“This is strictly personal retaliation from the mayor.”
He said the officers had previously been assured that their jobs would not be affected by the complaint involving the mayor's wife.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ron Shinnick said the decisions stemmed from the officers' “inappropriate” Facebook comments.
It is currently unclear exactly what posts he was referring to.
The officers were required to turn in all department equipment.
According to reports, the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office will take over security duties for the town of Cohutta for the time being.
