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Small Minnesota Town Holds Emergency Meeting After Being Abandoned By Entire Police Department

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The city of Goodhue, Minnesota, held an emergency meeting Monday night after their entire police department announced its resignation, according to FOX9 News.

Police Chief Josh Smith originally alerted the City Council of a need for change on July 26, saying that the police department needed more competitive pay if it was to continue operating, FOX9 reported. Smith and six other officers handed in their resignation letters last week, leaving Goodhue entirely without a police force starting Aug. 24.

“We’ve got zero applicants and I have zero prospects. I’ve called every PD around looking for the youngest guys out there getting into the game. There’s nobody getting into the game,” Smith said in July according to FOX9.

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Officers currently receive $22 an hour, which Smith claims is far less than even smaller departments receive in other locations, according to the Star Tribune. Although the city offered officers a 5% raise earlier this year and gave the police chief a $13,000 bonus, the officers receive minimal pay compared to precincts of the same size, KARE 11 reported.

“The harsh reality is, I don’t want to be the guy working 80 hours a week just running this PD, being on call 24 hours a day, which I already am, and leaving no time for my family,” Smith said on July 26, according to the Star Tribune.

When called at their non-emergency number, the Goodhue City Police Department line goes directly to a pre-recorded statement that instructs the caller to leave a message or call the Goodhue County Police Department instead for immediate assistance.

Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck and City Councilmember Chris Schmit intend met with Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly on Wednesday, according to KROC News. Goodhue currently plans to rely on the county’s police officers to replace their city officers after August 23, KROC News reports.

“A tentative agreement, pending the City of Goodhue approval, was reached to provide police service to the City of Goodhue through the end 2023.  Further discussions between the Sheriff’s Office and City of Goodhue will be held about police service in the City of Goodhue for 2024,” Kelly told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday. “The City of Goodhue and the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office are working together to ensure no interruption of police services for the citizens of Goodhue County.”

Anderson, Smith and Schmit did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated.