Ga. Police Chief, Entire Department Quit Over Trust Issues With Town Leadership

Milner's police chief, all five full-time officers and several reserve officers resigned over trust concerns with town officials, including allegations that the mayor placed a tracking device on the chief's personal vehicle.

What to Know

  • Milner's entire police department, including the chief and all five full-time officers, resigned amid a dispute over trust and oversight involving town leadership.
  • Chief Lamar Bunn said concerns centered on the alleged tracking of officers and what he described as interference that left department leadership unable to do its job effectively.
  • The mass resignation leaves the town facing a loss of law enforcement personnel, and the Lamar County Sheriff's Office is expected to provide coverage.

All members of a Georgia police department and a municipal official resigned Monday over trust concerns with the small town's leadership.

Milner Police Chief Lamar Bunn and City Manager Tausha Grose announced their resignations, along with the department's five full-time officers and several reserve officers, during this week's city council meeting, WUPA-TV reports. The last day for Bunn and his officers is set for Oct. 28, and Grosse's will be Oct. 30.

"The trust is gone. I have been rendered ineffective in my position. There is no trust," said Grosse.

According to Bunn, the lack of trust stemmed over concerns about surveillance of officers by officials of the town of 800 people. Bunn accused Mayor Craig Timmons with putting a tracking device on his personal vehicle, WAGA-TV reports. That claim also was mentioned in an officer's resignation letter, according to WSB-TV.

Bunn told WSB that Timmons had had asked him for the tracker back in front of multiple people. Timmons would not comment when asked about the accussation at Monday's meeting, and Bunn said he didn't object to the tracking if it was done properly.

"If I cannot do my job, if I'm not given an opportunity to do my job with character, I can't do it," said Bunn.

Along with the tracking allegation, other officers expressed support for Bunn and leadership concerns with the mayor and certain council members, according to resignation letters obtained by WSB. Bunn said he was not the first department member to resign, and he didn't ask other officers to step down.

Even with the allegations against the mayor, Bunn said he still had hope that he and the town could work things out before his last day.

"If (the trust) can be fixed, we need to fix it," he said.

If there's no resolution between the town and the resigning chief and police officers, the Lamar County Sheriff's Office is expected to provide law enforcement coverage for Milner.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
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