After entire police force resigns in small Oklahoma town, chief blames leaders, budget cuts

After city officials announced that all members of a small Oklahoma police force resigned, the former chief has spoken out, attributing the move to a lack of support from public leadership.

Alicia Ford, former police chief of the small town of Geary, told Fox News that she and the remaining officers resigned because of the mayor's "continued failure to make change that would affect the department and make it more effective for the community."

The police officers announced their resignation on Oct. 31. Two city council members also announced plans to step down, and Mayor Waylan Upchego followed suit days later, according to the Watonga Republican.

Ford told Fox News the department's difficult relationship with the former mayor was "an ongoing issue."

"He consistently refused to keep his word to us, and that was something that we held him to," Ford continued to the outlet. "When you're a mayor, you're [supposed] to lead the city and what's best for the city and the departments within."

Geary is a small city with an estimated population of 994, according to 2020 US Census data.

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City hired an interim police chief

In October, Terryl Allen, Geary's public information officer, said the department has an interim police chief and will receive assistance from both the Blaine County Sheriff's Office and the Canadian County Sheriff's Office, according to The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Per a Facebook comment from the police department, the interim police chief is JJ Stitt, a distant cousin of Gov. Kevin Stitt and an Oklahoma and Texas peace officer.

The police department employed four patrol officers in addition to the chief of police.

"We would like to let our citizens know we are conducting business as usual," Allen said in an Oct. 31 statement. "If you have an emergency, please contact 911 like you normally would, and an officer will be dispatched to assist you. We would also like to offer our thanks and appreciation to our former Chief of Police and Officers for their service to our community and wish them all the best of luck."

USA TODAY reached out to the city of Geary for comment.

Ford said budget cuts, overworked officers played a role in the decision

Ford, who started her role in late 2023, told Fox News that several factors contributed to their decision, including understaffing, funding cuts, and fatigued officers who worked lengthy shifts that were "basically 24 hours...five to seven days a week."

"They cut the jail. They cut our dispatch, and that put strain on us. But we found we went to another agency, and they have done excellent and accommodating us with that dispatch," Ford explained during her interview with Fox News.

She added that the mayor "consistently refused to keep his word when it came to basic needs of equipment and the safety issues within our department. We talked about the budget cuts that caused hardships for these officers and myself that were unnecessary."

According to Fox, Ford expressed concerns to city leaders and gave them a month to rectify them before they left. She is now with the Blaine County Sheriff's Office.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.