Small village in Ohio loses its entire police force after all the officers resigned | Law Enforcement Today

CRAIG BEACH, OH - It has been reported that officers with the Craig Beach Police Department (CBPD) have resigned. Craig Beach is a small village of around 1,000 people in Mahoning County. 

The police force was made up of seven part-time members covering 20 hours per week. On Monday, April 7th, five officers resigned, with the other two on active duty in the military. Sgt. Renatta Griffith, a now-former Craig Beach police officer, said, "Just a lot of discord between us and the council not getting equipment that we need, not getting bills paid, just really a hostile work environment and it just got to a point where enough is enough."

Griffith said it all came to a head during Tuesday night's council meeting. Mayor Jim Becker said he is reassuring the community about getting police coverage. Becker said, "I will work to get them police coverage, so temporarily, we have police coverage." 

The mayor was reportedly seen changing the locks on the police department door on Wednesday evening after the officers resigned. The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) will be covering in Craig Beach for the time being. The mayor said the council needs to decide if they will rehire those police positions or move forward with MCSO permanently. 

People who live in Craig Beach have mixed feelings about the resignations, saying that when they call for help, they just want someone to respond. Craig Beach resident Denise Allman said, "I'm kind of disgusted with it because when we did call the police, they were never around anyway."

Torrance Locke, another Craig Beach resident said, "I think that we should figure out what the main issue is and get that issue resolved. Get those officers back." According to WKBN, when resigning, Griffith read from one of the resignation letters, audibly emotional. She said, "I love the community that we serve, and it has been an honor to work under Chief Pettus."

The resignations came months after the now-former Chief Pettus was briefly laid off and reinstated following a social media post accusing the council of lacking support. Griffith said, "Council has been very vocal about wanting our department to fail and refusing to support any efforts for us to improve."

At the meeting, the council unanimously accepted all the resignations. The former officers on the police force said they would be willing to come back to CPD, however, Griffith said things need to change. The former officers hope the council will come to the table and discuss how to find a better path forward. 

MCSO Sheriff Jerry Greene said they will respond to all emergency calls in Craig Beach for now. Greene said, "When they would get emergency calls, we would certainly handle those calls for them and assist in any way they needed. I would never turn my back on any city, village or township in Mahoning County. We're gonna be there for them until they know how they want to move forward."