The small town of Cohutta, Georgia, is making big news after its Mayor, Ron Shinnick, fired its entire police force.
The town, with a population of around 1000 people, saw all ten of its police officers relieved of their duties after officers allegedly made “inappropriate comments” about his wife on Facebook.
When asked about the decision, Shinnick said, “They’ll get a paycheck. We’re not that way, and I appreciate their service, okay? It is time for a change.”
The dispute appears to stem from last month, when officers filed formal complaints against former town clerk Pat Shinnick, the mayor’s wife.
Pat Shinnick was fired from her position for allegedly creating a “hostile work environment.” According to the officers’ complaints, despite her firing, she was still working and continued to have access to personal information of the town’s 1,000 residents.
Following the complaints, Shinnick, Police Chief Greg Fowler and town attorney Brian Rayburn said during a press conference that the situation had been resolved using “open dialogue and good-faith mediation.”
The following week, the entire department was fired.
During a packed special meeting of the Cohutta Town Council on Friday, the council voted to reinstate all officers immediately and to provide back pay.
Additionally, the council passed a separate measure to prevent Shinnick from firing the officers for the next 30 days.
According toChannel 9 News, the councilmembers say they stepped in “after finding the town’s charter wasn’t followed when Mayor Shinnick dissolved the police department.”
Source: The Gateway Pundit
