Goodhue, Minnesota – Residents of Goodhue, Minnesota, face a future without local law enforcement after the town’s police force resigned last week citing low pay.
Police Chief Josh Smith and one other full-time officer resigned at a City Council meeting on Aug. 9; with five part-time employees following suit after hearing Smith quit. Their last day of service will be Aug. 23 and it remains unclear how long it may take the city council to rebuild the police force.
“This is heartbreaking to us,” said Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck at an emergency City Council meeting Monday night.
The mayor noted that low pay was a key factor in the resignations. In an effort to demonstrate the city’s commitment to increasing officer pay, the council had approved a 5% pay raise for all officers and a $13,000 raise for Chief Smith earlier this year.
At the July 26 meeting, just two weeks before he resigned, Smith had warned the council about recruitment issues and low pay. He noted that while smaller departments were offering at least $30 an hour, Goodhue was offering only $22 an hour. “I don’t want to be the guy working 80 hours a week and leaving no time for my family,” Smith had said.
Now, the City Council is actively seeking an agreement with the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office for additional law enforcement services. Earlier this year, another Minnesota town, Morris, disbanded their police department and contracted with the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.
Statewide, smaller towns are facing mounting budget costs and a shortage of officers throughout Minnesota. Competition for highly qualified and experienced personnel is high, leaving Smaller towns like Goodhue having no choice but to face the reality of having to pay officers more to maintain morale and keep officers serving their community.
For now, the citizens of Goodhue can only hope that the city makes the necessary investment to recruit, hire, and retain highly qualified personnel to protect and serve their community.
