After this week's resignation of the police chief in Mayville, N.D., the town is left without any of its own law enforcement officers.
Mayor Donald Moen said that, for now, Traill County deputies will patrol Mayville. "So it's not like we're totally unprotected," the mayor said.
Moen said he wants city officials to consider various options to permanently address the situation, including re-staffing the city's three-person police department or making a long-term deal with the sheriff's department.
"I don't want to do any kneejerk reactions," he said.
The former chief, Damon Bradshaw, had been with the Mayville Police Department for about five years, with two to three of those years as police chief of the town of about 1,780.
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Moen said Bradshaw cited a combination of personal and professional reasons for leaving. He said Bradshaw's decision to step down came as a surprise to him.
"I'm very disappointed," the mayor said. "I am a strong supporter of the chief."
Bradshaw's departure comes as the Mayville City Council plans to hear the case of Jeremy Hanson, a former Mayville officer who was suspended last month and then resigned and now wants to be re-instated. The council decided Tuesday to consider re-instating Hanson but has not set a date for that hearing.
On Wednesday, the day after the council's decision, Bradshaw submitted his letter of resignation and resigned effective Thursday. It's not certain whether Bradshaw's decision to resign is related to Hanson's situation. A message left at Bradshaw's home was not returned Friday.
Hanson, who joined the department about three months ago, was suspended for insubordination and performance-related issues, Bradshaw told the Grand Forks Herald last month.
Along with the resignations of Bradshaw and Hanson, the third member of the city's police department recently left for another job.
Archie Ingersoll is a writer for the Grand Forks Herald
