The Entire Police Force in This Town Resigned

2 minute read

The entire police force in a Colorado town resigned last week, heeding control to the county sheriff’s office and leaving residents scratching their heads.

The Green Mountain Falls Police Department’s now former chief Tim Bradley and his three-person volunteer force quit when the town’s new mayor was officially sworn in earlier this month, according to local reports. Fox21 News reports that the police chief and his force announced they would resign on April 14 due to policy disputes with the new mayor. The Gazette reports the resignations were official as of last Monday.

The new mayor Jane Newberry said such shakeups are typical during periods of turnover. “In an election year there’s always some people who choose to stay and some people who choose to go and I think that happens at every level of government,” she told Fox21 News.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will now handle all patrolling activities in the small town. Newberry has said she has full confidence in the Sheriff’s department. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department told the Gazette its officers have worked in Green Mountain Falls for a while.

“We will answer calls for service there just like we would with any other district in the county,” said spokesperson Jackie Kirby.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com