Georgia town reinstates police force days after mayor fired entire department

A tiny Georgia town’s constabulary unit was reinstated Friday aft the politician fired each serviceman conscionable days earlier, drafting backlash and prompting enactment by the municipality council.

During a peculiar meeting, the Cohutta Town Council voted to reinstate the officers instantly and supply backmost pay, the town’s vice politician told The Associated Press.

The assembly besides passed a abstracted measurement preventing the politician from firing the officers for the adjacent 30 days, but tabled the remainder of the agenda, including a connection to region Mayor Ron Shinnick.

The determination comes aft Shinnick unopen down the Cohutta Police Department connected Wednesday, laying disconnected each 10 employees and leaving the astir 1,000-person assemblage without a constabulary force.

GEORGIA MAYOR FIRES ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT AFTER OFFICERS COMPLAIN ABOUT HIS WIFE IN DISPUTE

The full constabulary unit successful a Georgia municipality was fired 1 week aft officers and the politician reportedly resolved their issues done unfastened dialog and good-faith mediation. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images)

The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies would assistance the town, which is located conscionable southbound of the Tennessee enactment and astir 100 miles northwest of Atlanta.

A motion posted connected the department’s doorway earlier this week read, "The PD has been dissolved, and each unit person been terminated."

While the nonstop reasons for the firings person not been publically disclosed, the shutdown appears tied to a quality past period aft officers filed ceremonial complaints against erstwhile municipality clerk Pam Shinnick, the mayor’s wife.

SMALL TOWN LEFT WITH ZERO COPS AS COUNCIL FIRES FINAL OFFICER AMID MOUNTING DRAMA

Mayor Ron Shinnick speaks astatine Cohutta Town Hall successful Cohutta, Georgia, connected Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Matt Hamilton/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP)

Pam Shinnick was fired from her presumption for allegedly creating a "hostile enactment environment." Officers alleged successful their complaints that she continued moving and had entree to residents’ idiosyncratic accusation contempt her termination.

Following the complaints, Shinnick, Police Chief Greg Fowler and municipality lawyer Bryan Rayburn said during a property league that the concern had been resolved done "open dialog and good-faith mediation."

But conscionable 1 week later, the full section was dissolved.

ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT RESIGNS LEAVING SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY WITHOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE

Mayor Ron Shinnick, left, shakes hands with members of the Cohutta Police Department astatine Cohutta Town Hall successful Cohutta, Georgia, connected Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Matt Hamilton/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP)

"This each comes to idiosyncratic vendetta from the mayor, and I wholeheartedly judge that," erstwhile Sgt. Jeremy May told WRCB-TV. "We took a basal for transparency, and successful result, each 1 of them has mislaid their jobs."

According to Vice Mayor Shane Kornberg, the town’s lawyer told the assembly the firings did not travel the municipality charter, which requires 30 days’ announcement earlier employees tin beryllium removed oregon suspended.

Kornberg said the assembly went into enforcement league to sermon imaginable litigation and emerged without the mayor, who did not instrumentality to the meeting. The assembly past voted to reinstate the constabulary force.

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to the mayor’s bureau for comment.

Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.