Big Bend WS police force resigns
BIG BEND, Wis. January 2 2023Â Five members of a local police department quit on the same day.
Those five represent nearly half of the department.
The Village of Big Bend announced the resignations on its Facebook page.
The Village Board decided to disband the police department and after public pressure, reversed their decision, but the damage was already done.
Five officers abruptly resigned Thursday. The Fire and Police Commission chairman also quit.
Mark Andersen, former Fire and Police Commission chairman, says the sudden death of Police Chief Don Gaglione in October could have helped to unify the community leadership, but only fractured it further.
Anderson says the Village president’s plan to dissolve the Fire and Police Commission in early December was the last straw for him and the five officers who quit.
There were three full-time and nine part-time officers three months ago, but that number is now down to six total, with just one full-time officer.
One of the resigning officers says more resignations are to come.
