The small city of Goodhue, Minnesota, located in the southeastern part of the state, has been left without a police force as the chief and other members of the department resigned from their positions.
Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck expressed her surprise at the situation but remained optimistic about the city's future, stating, "I think we're all a little bit blindsided by it, but we're resilient, and we're going to move forward," in an interview with Fox 9.
Mayor Buck assured the community that police coverage would not be an issue, saying, "I want to reiterate that we will have police coverage in the city of Goodhue. That is not an issue."
However, Police Chief Josh Smith, who will continue to serve until August 24, explained to city officials that he had been unable to find anyone willing to join the police force. He expressed his frustration, stating, "This has been three weeks now, we have zero applicants, and I have zero prospects. Ive called every PD around for the youngest guys out there, getting into the game. There's nobody getting into the game."
Chris Schmit, a member of the Goodhue City Council, praised the police force for their dedication to maintaining law and order in the city, saying, "I can probably speak for everyone when I say that they provided excellent safety and security to our community. And the small-town policing that they did, we want that back."
Chief Smith also highlighted the challenges the department faced in recruiting new officers, citing low pay and competition from larger communities as contributing factors. The loss of the entire police force in Goodhue comes at a time when policing issues are in the spotlight, particularly in Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota.
Recently, the last ex-Minneapolis police officer involved in the death of George Floyd was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. Prior to the sentencing, Tou Thao, one of the convicted officers, spoke about finding solace in his faith while in prison.
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