Georgia city’s entire police force resigns

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — An entire Georgia city’s police force has resigned, the city manager announced during a Monday council meeting.

Milner City Manager Tausha Grose said the entire full-time police department has stepped down, along with most reserve officers. The department’s last day is Oct. 28.

Through tears, Grose also said she filed her own resignation and will work until Oct. 30.

Milner, about 45 miles south of Atlanta near Griffin, has a population of less than 1,000 people. The police department consisted of five officers and Chief Lamar Bunn. The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office is expected to serve in the department’s absence.

During Monday’s meeting, Bunn said he stepped down partially due to a lack of trust in the city council and the mayor. He accused Mayor Craig Timmons of placing a tracker on his personal truck.

“I didn’t ask them to do it,” he said of the rest of the force resigning. “It’s not like I said, ‘Hey guys, let’s quit.’ No, I didn’t do that. So, I don’t know what needs to happen from here.”

Atlanta News First received copies of the officers’ resignation letters through an open records request. In them, several officers expressed concerns about the mayor and city council’s leadership.

“It is particularly disheartening to see an environment in which individuals who entered this profession to serve are left questioning whether their commitment and professional judgment are genuinely valued by the very leadership responsible for supporting public safety,” one letter said.

“I can no longer continue working for a city where I believe the Mayor’s actions toward city employees have created an environment that is inconsistent with the standards of accountability, integrity, and respect that should be expected of all public officials,” stated another.

Skip Seda, a longtime Milner resident and former city council member, described the situation as chaotic and said he fears the city could eventually dissolve.

“I think the city’s basically doomed. I really do, and I hate that,” he told Atlanta News First.

Seda said he heard rumors ahead of the meeting about the resignations, a rule barring officers from working overtime and the alleged tracker placed on the police chief’s car.

“Most people in this room want to know if what’s being said about that tracker is true,” Seda said during the meeting.

Seda said he expects the sheriff’s office to handle law enforcement, but warned the city could face a larger crisis once the resignations take effect.

“On the day after Oct. 30, nobody’s running this city!” Seda said.

Seda said he plans to push for Milner to become unincorporated, arguing the city’s charter mandates a police department.

“Because we already paying taxes for Milner. And about the only darn thing the difference between us and the county is that police force. That’s it. So why would we continue to pay Milner taxes?” he said during the meeting.

Seda said he does not know what will happen next and questioned whether the city council is prepared to address the situation.

Atlanta News First has reached out to the city and various officials to learn more.

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