Town's Entire Police Force Quits, Blaming Government

In a shocking move, the entire police force of Bunker Hill, Indiana have all resigned from their positions. Officers are pointing the finger at petty politics.“We have had issues with the town board and there are some activities there where I felt like they were serving their own agenda,” former Bunker Hill Town Marshal Michael Thomison told Fox59.The force in Bunker Hill isn't very large, just four or five officers. But the impact of their departure will send a big message to small, local government officials: enough with the power trip. According to their resignation letters, they were encouraged by politicians to, “do illegal, unethical, and immoral things.” For example, officers were asked to conduct background checks on fellow council members, to uncover any criminal history for political expediency. They were allegedly threatened when they refused these requests.

Furthermore, the officers were forced to share just one set of body armor as they made arrests, because they were not given funds to purchase enough for all officers, despite it being a requirement for the council to do so.“I did not want to send someone out there with bad body armor so I would take mine off and provide it to the other officers. I told them we have to provide this, there is an IC code that explains that and says that the town has to provide that body armor,” Thomison stated.Thomison had just recently come back to work in May, after overcoming a cancer diagnosis. How did the town council repay him? By telling him that he was costing the town too much money due to his health insurance, and moving him to a part-time only position.[caption id="attachment_9402" align="aligncenter" width="630"]

Michael Thomison / Facebook[/caption]After that blow, the officers stepped down. According to them, it is not a desire to leave the force that motivated them, but a feeling that they had to. Now, Bunker Hill is scrambling to find other officers to staff the Police Department. Thomison told local news, most of the people they've contacted don't want the position.There is currently a lawsuit pending against the Town Council, alleging they have violated Indiana's Open Door Law, which requires complete transparency by local government officials.The town council also released the following statement about the officers' sudden departure:

Like most small towns, there have been from time to time, disagreements in the policy making process between the town council and other town departments. The current town council as well as prior councils have, on occasion, had disagreements with Mr. Thomison over a number of things. These disagreements have primarily been caused by the lack of funding available to the town to invest in the police department. However, the council denies that it has failed to provide body armor for the marshal or reserve deputies. The council is well aware of Indiana law on the topic and has complied with it fully. Further, the council absolutely denies that it has ever asked Mr. Thomison or any of the reserve deputies to be involved in any illegal, unethical or immoral actions.The council admits that it had made a number of cuts to the police department over the last few years. This was a decision the town made due to a lack of funding. Bunker Hill is diligently working to solve this problem for the coming year. The cuts made to the police department were not made with the intention of jeopardizing the safety of any of the town's police officers. Over the last few years, the Council has made attempts to find additional money for the department. Mr. Thomison was instrumental in obtaining a large sum of money on behalf of the town. However, he fails to state that the police department received the benefit of a large portion of that funding.As Mr. Thomison has stated, there is currently a lawsuit pending against the town relating to Indiana's Open Door Law. The council denies that it has violated Indiana's Open Door Law in any manner. However, the council will not comment further on this topic as the litigation is still pending.The resignation of the entire police force has come as a shock to the council. It has never been the goal to dismantle or otherwise endanger the town police department or officers. The council thanks these officers for their service to the town. Bunker Hill is in the process of obtaining a new marshal and reserve deputies. The council asks for patience from the town residents in this process.