A small town in Tennessee lost its entire police force in protest against a new mayor elected a few weeks ago.
Alexandria Police Chief Travis Bryant resigned last week because he believed new Mayor Beth Tripp was “micromanaging” the department without the proper policing experience, and two other officers quickly followed suit. According to WTVF News
“It's hard for me to just walk away as suddenly as I did,” the chief told the outlet, “but it's what I felt was best for me and I had no choice but to do it.”
The new mayor, the only candidate elected this month, was already facing other serious problems even before he lost his town's police force, including water quality issues that have forced residents to pay high prices for murky, brown water. WTVF takes notice.
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Department, located 25 minutes away from Alexandria, is now tasked with responding to calls in the town, according to the outlet.
Alexandria's police budget is tight, with just three full-time officers for a population of about 995 people in 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Bryant resigned along with other officers on Aug. 16, and the last remaining officer resigned last weekend.
Tripp denied allegations that he “micromanaged” the police department, adding that previous officials had left the town mismanaged and simply told officers to crack down on speeding on local roads, leaving numerous concerns to be addressed.
“These things happen in politics, this is nothing new, but I didn't think it would get to this level of severity, that you're just trying to do your job and you're constantly being attacked for no reason,” Tripp said. I filed a complaint with WTVF.
The town continues to address concerns about policing and water quality at City Hall, and Tripp is interviewing candidates for a new police chief, according to the report.
