Police Force Resigns in Minnesota Town – The American Spectator

On Aug 20, 2023

In a move that shocked Goodhue, Minnesota, the town’s police chief and all of the police officers have resigned, complaining about low pay and long hours that were not addressed by the city.

Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson-Buck said that she was “blindsided” by the mass exodus. She assured the town of over 1000 residents that they would still have the sheriff’s department to call upon. Anderson said, “I think we’re all a little bit blindsided by it, but we’re resilient, and we’re going to move forward.”

Police Chief John Smith had been vocal about issues in the police force before, including recruiting. He had informed the city of his inability to find any willing recruits.

This has been three weeks now, we have zero applicants, and I have zero prospects. If you want to keep the PD and this is something we want to continue going with, something needs to change dramatically and drastically, and it’s got to happen now.

The city had attempted to retain its officers by recently increasing Chief Smith’s salary by $13,000 and the entire police force by 5 percent. However, the move did not properly compensate for the increase in hours worked by the officers. Smith explained the citation in a meeting on July 26.

But 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.

The news for this small town mimics what is occurring across the nation. The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2020 and the subsequent riots and protests produced a significant drop off in the police force. Cities across the United States continue to struggle to maintain current officers and entice recruits. The town of Goodhue, Minnesota is simply a hyper-example of a general problem plaguing the nation.

Brayden Dean is a rising senior at the University of Georgia. He studies international relations and political science with a minor in law, jurisprudence, and state. A member of The American Spectator’s intern class of 2023, Brayden enjoys sipping a hot cup of coffee while reading a book.

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