The small town of Alexandria, Tennessee, is grappling with a unique crisis: the entire police force has resigned, citing the alleged overbearing management style of the town's new female mayor.
The former police chief, Travis Bryant, and his fellow officers have left their posts, claiming that Mayor Beth Tripp's lack of policing experience did not deter her from trying to control their every action.
According to The Post Millennial, Bryant, who resigned on August 16 along with another officer, expressed his discomfort with the situation. "To just up and leave like I did, it bothers me," Bryant admitted. "But it is just what I felt was in the best interest for myself, and I had to do that."
Alexandria, a modest town with a tight budget, could only afford to employ three police officers. Following the departure of Bryant and his colleague, the remaining officer also resigned, leaving the town's law enforcement department empty. Mayor Tripp, who assumed office earlier this month after running unopposed, has been met with this crisis early in her tenure. She was elected with a mere 88 votes from the town's approximately 900 residents, according to Census Bureau data.
Bryant, who had served under two other mayors without issue, voiced his concerns about Tripp's approach. "The previous two I had no problems with. I could sit down and talk to them. When the new mayor came in, she tried to reassign our duties to the sheriff's department and then it was becoming a micromanaging issue where she wanted to try to control the police department and she has no experience," he stated.
Mayor Tripp's tenure has been fraught with challenges even before the police force's mass resignation. WTVF reported that residents have been grappling with high water bills due to water quality issues, leading to dissatisfaction among taxpayers over the murky, brown water.
In the absence of a local police force, the Dekalb County Sheriff's Department, located 25 minutes away, has taken over responding to calls from Alexandria.
Mayor Tripp, however, has refuted the allegations of micromanagement, asserting that she merely requested the officers to manage a road plagued by speeding issues. "You're going to get that in politics - that's nothing new. But I didn't figure it would be this bad. To keep on attacking me for no reason, when I'm only trying to do my job?" she told the outlet.
As Alexandria navigates this crisis, Mayor Tripp is currently interviewing potential candidates for the vacant police chief position. The town's future law enforcement structure remains uncertain, as does the resolution of the ongoing water quality issues.
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