Nov. 3 (UPI) — The 1,000 residents of the town of Geary, about 50 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, are still wondering who to call in case of an emergency following the resignation of the entire four-person police department and two city council members.
The police and council members did not give an explanation for their resignation.
Former Police Chief Alicia Ford did not give specific reasons for Thursday’s resignation, but said in a social media post that the decision was difficult.
The department made the announcement on its Facebook page.
“It’s sad that I and other Geary police officers will no longer serve this community,” he wrote, “but it was the right decision for me and the other officers,” according to local media reports.
“We don’t have much of a town anymore,” resident Sonja Luquette told Oklahoma City television station KOCO-TV. “Ever since I lived here, there has been one drama after another and it worries me in this city that we should build, not fall,” he continued.
“I’m not happy in any way,” an anonymous resident told Fox affiliate KOKH-TV.”A city without police is a danger to the city’s citizens.
Concerned about the problems in the four-man department, Geary hired a consultant, JJ Stitt, to investigate.
Stitt, who says on his website that he has worked in law for 27 years, confirmed to KOKH that he was hired as a consultant, but he was immediately taken to lead the department.
“It was one night when I was told, ‘Hey. We might have a problem in the police department. We’re going to need someone to step up. Could it be you?’ I was hesitant at first,” he said.
No official reason has been given for the resignations, and Stitt said he was “not fully aware” of the reasons.
The city, in a statement, wants to assure residents that their public safety needs are being met, thanked the former chief and officers while wishing them well but said an interim police chief has been appointed and the Blaine County and Canada County sheriff’s offices. he will help guard the city.
“We would like to inform our citizens that we are conducting business as usual,” said the statement. “If you have an emergency, please call 911 as you normally would and an officer will be dispatched to assist you,” the statement said.
The Geary City Council has four seats, and one seat is currently vacant. The two resignations left one council member, Sandra Cleveland, remaining. He could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
Geary’s resignation was the second to hit rural Oklahoma recently. A few days before Geary’s resignation, four of the five deputies in the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, another small law enforcement office in Oklahoma about 115 miles north of Geary, also resigned without explanation.
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