Mass exodus at Jacksboro PD, search for new police chief underway

The news of a city in North Texas without police is raising eyebrows.

As of next Sunday, the Jacksboro Police Department will not have a single officer on its payroll.

“Resource Officer Moody is leaving on the 11th and I've been visiting with him as well,” Charles Hauger said. Hauger is the sheriff of Jack County.

Deputies with the Jack County Sheriff’s Department are now leading the way when it comes to patrolling and responding to calls.

“The citizens of Jacksboro are just as important to us as anywhere else in the county is, so it was just a natural step in there,” Hauger said. “And it's not just us stepping up; the highway patrols have stepped up. They're gonna come in and help us do accident investigations. The district attorney's office has stepped up. There's a small backlog of cases over there, and they're going to take them.”

온라인카지노사이트 5 spoke to business owners and residents in Jacksboro. They did not want to speak on camera, however, cited concerns over misinformation, retaliation, and lack of transparency. They admit the situation has created a division among the community.

The rift, according to letters obtained by 온라인카지노사이트 5, began in December 2024 and involves the Jacksboro Police Department and Jacksboro City Manager, Michael ‘Mike’ Smith.

“It all started December 7th, I believe, at a Christmas party at the fire department,” Smith said. “Two of our officers were at the party and they were videoing me during the party. They contacted other members of the police department as well as some city council members. And basically, they said, ‘Hey, the city manager is drunk.’ So, they contacted a DPS officer who pulled me over when I was going home.”

In a letter addressed to the city council, the Jacksboro Police Association stated Smith “…was observed in what appeared to be an intoxicated state.”

Smith denied the allegations.

“No, no, not at all, not a bit,” Smith said.

Smith was never charged. He said he later requested an independent investigation by the Rangers into the motives of the officers.

"I just wanted it to be done through an outside agency. I certainly didn't want, obviously, the police department to do an investigation. I didn't (want to) put the sheriff's department in that position because we do work closely together," Smith said. "I just felt like that there was some underlying tension between the police department and the city hall that probably needed to be looked at."

Two officers, as well as the police chief, were placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation.

“The Ranger did his investigation and determined that there was no criminal activity. So, in other words, he did not feel like the officers had done anything criminal with respect to that incident. So, I brought them back onto active duty at that point in time,” Smith said.

However, tensions between the two parties intensified.

A letter published by the Texas Municipal Police Association also made allegations that Smith had “unresolved pay discrepancies within the police department, and retaliatory actions such as revoking officer benefits approved by the city council."

While Smith denied any wrongdoing, he said he is not happy about the city’s current situation.

“I don't know that I'm OK with that, but I do believe that it gives us an opportunity to essentially start fresh,” Smith said. “My goals are twofold right now. First and foremost, I want to take care of the 30 other employees that come to work every day, that are positive about what they do, that want to be here…But the community is divided, you're absolutely right. And I think that this is a perfect opportunity to start kind of healing those divisions, to be honest with you.”

The search for a new police chief is already underway.

“We advertised the position yesterday. And I've already gotten about eight calls today for people that are interested in applying for the chief position. So, I feel confident that we'll be able to find a new chief. It's not going to be overnight. It'll take a little while,” Smith said.

While it will be up to the future chief of police to hire new staff, the city council will have a say on what the future of the department looks like.

“I want to wait on the new city council to get seated and see what their goals are and what their focus is,” Hauger said.