The Goodhue, Minnesota municipality has recently terminated its law enforcement personnel. And it’s the entire police force, not just a single officer or particular unit. At least according to one state legislator, this is all the result of the Democrat governor.

The resignation of Goodhue Police Chief Josh Smith was submitted to municipal authorities, which resulted in the departure of ten of his subordinates.

According to a former officer quoted by a local news source, the municipal authorities have disregarded the chief’s requests for increased compensation and increased recruiting efforts to address the department’s staffing shortages.

KAAL-TV ABC6 reported Smith’s resignation after a city council meeting on August 9th. Reportedly, Mayor Ellen Buck has confirmed her intention to convene a citywide emergency meeting to resolve the issue at hand. According to the report, the remaining police officers collectively tendered their resignations on November 11 as a show of solidarity.

According to a former officer interviewed by ABC 6 News, two full-time police officers, in addition to Smith, will remain on duty until at least the 24th of August, which is when Smith’s resignation will take effect.

According to a report by NBC News, Smith expressed concern about the lack of applicants for the city’s police department during a meeting on July 26.

In addition, he disclosed that neighboring jurisdictions were aggressively pursuing him and his officers for employment.

According to Smith’s statement to the city, “Right now with our current, trying to hire at $22 an hour, you’re never going to see another person again walk through those doors, that’s it,” Smith told the city. “Unless you guys do a dramatic change.” He emphasized that smaller departments than his were providing a compensation rate of $30 per hour.

He also stated that “There’s zero incentive to come out here to a small town, low pay, being on call, affecting your free time and everything else.”

The Star Tribune reported “Smith warned the council during a public meeting last month he was fielding job offers while trying to recruit officers to Goodhue.”

“Not that I’m leaving you guys, because I told you I’m in it,” Smith said at the July 26 meeting, two weeks before he resigned. “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.”

“Everybody knows everybody. This is heartbreaking to us,” Mayor Buck said, emphasizing, “We are going to rise above this, and I’m confident that we will have a police department again.” The mayor informed the press that she is engaging in discussions with the county sheriff in order to guarantee the provision of police services within the city.

According to CBS News, Buck attempted to assuage fears by telling citizens, “I want to reiterate that we will have police coverage in the city of Goodhue. That is not an issue.”

According to a report by KSTP News, the southeast Minneapolis suburb of Goodhue has a population of approximately 1,500 people. This area’s local police department consists of approximately ten officers, including the superintendent. Significant numbers of officers held part-time employment.

“The mayor and one other council member plan to meet with Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly this Wednesday to discuss those plans. The next council meeting is set for Aug. 23, when the city can expect to learn more about future plans,” the outlet reported.

While very few community members attended the special council meeting, Goodhue business owner Lydia Strusz was present and expressed her disappointment to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

More on this story via The Republic Brief:

“It’s just unnerving to know that they may not be there,” Strusz said about the unknown of placing an emergency call. CONTINUE READING…