Police chief, 3 officers quit force in small Oklahoma city

Minco, a small town in Oklahoma, cut its police budget in half
Minco City Council members say the money is needed in other places
The former police chief says officers will now be overworked and undertrained

Updated: Jun 8, 2023 / 05:04 PM CDT

(Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — A small Oklahoma city recently lost a majority of its police force — including its chief —after the local city council voted to halve the department’s budget.

Former Minco Police Chief Josh Fletcher asked for $588,000, but Minco City Council members say the money was needed elsewhere.

Fletcher partly cited harassment and a hostile work environment for his departure. In his post, he said the cuts to the budget will cause remaining officers to be “overworked, undertrained and poorly equipped.”

Fletcher turned in his resignation during the heated Monday night City Council meeting. Two full-time officers and one part-time officer quit as well, the Minco Millenium reported.

Minco residents will now get help from their Grady County Sheriff’s Department.

A special meeting of the Minco City Council has been called for Thursday evening to appoint an acting police chief to replace Fletcher.

NewsNation local affiliate KFOR contributed to this report.