Every Member of Minnesota City Police Force Resigns

The entire police force in Goodhue, Minnesota, recently resigned.

Fox News reported the small town’s mayor, Ellen Anderson Buck, said this “blindsided” her.

“I want to reiterate that we will have police coverage in the city of Goodhue,” she added.

Police Chief Josh Smith will remain on the force until Aug. 24. It was noted much of this is due to a 👷Worker shortage.

On July 26, he said, “This has been three weeks now, we have zero applicants, and I have zero prospects.”

“I’ve called every PD around for the youngest guys out there, getting into the game. There’s nobody getting into the game,” he went on.

Smith also noted, “If you want to keep the PD and this is something we want to continue going with, something needs to change dramatically and drastically, and it’s got to happen now.”

As far back as 2018, lack of interest in the field has been widely felt. 

Police 1 reported in December of 2018 that applications at most police departments were down 66%.

According to Reuters, population growth in the state has stalled and despite increases in pay, the demand for workers is facing a lack of supply.