Entire Minnesota Police Department Resigns Over Low Pay and 'Harsh Reality' of Job

The police chief and six officers in Goodhue, Minnesota have resigned, citing a lack of support from the City Council and the mayor

The entire police department of a small Minnesota town has resigned, citing a lack of support from the City Council and the mayor, according to multiple reports.

After learning that Police Chief Josh Smith stepped down at a City Council meeting on August 9, one full-time officer and five part-time employees of the Goodhue Police Department handed in their notices two days later, as reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The council will seek assistance from the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office in the meantime, as Smith and the other full-time officer will leave their posts on August 23.

"This is heartbreaking to us," said Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck at an emergency City Council meeting Monday night, per the outlet.

The small police force protected the town of Goodhue, which has a population of just over 1,000, according to its website.

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Two weeks before his resignation, Smith expressed his concern with the City Council about the low pay and “harsh reality” of working at the department, reported USA Today.

“I don't want to be the guy working 80 hours a week just running this PD, being on call 24 hours a day, which I already am, and leaving no time for my family," Smith said, per the outlet.

"Right now ... trying to hire at $22 an hour, you're never going to see another person again walk through those doors," Smith told the council, continued USA Today, adding that smaller departments were paying a minimum of $30 an hour.

"There's zero incentive to come out here to a small town, low pay, being on call, affecting your free time and everything else," he said, per NBC News.

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Despite officers receiving a 5% raise — and Smith a $13,000 raise — earlier this year, the Goodhue police officers were still underpaid compared to other cities, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"We were trying very, very hard to bring those numbers up," Buck said, per the outlet.

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The City Council meeting on Monday was originally scheduled to negotiate pay raises for the police department, but the officers resigned before it took place. The City Council then discussed alternative ways to provide police services after the department’s departure.

"I think we're all a little bit blindsided by it, but we're resilient and we're going to move forward," Buck told Fox 9 News, adding "I want to reiterate that we will have police coverage in the city of Goodhue. That is not an issue.”

"They provided excellent safety and security to our community," Council member Chris Schmit said, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We want that back."

The Goodhue Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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