The entire full-time police force and the city manager of Milner, Georgia, have resigned from their positions, leaving the small town’s municipal administration and law enforcement apparatus thrown into sudden turmoil. The sweeping departures were officially revealed during a city council meeting.
City Manager Tausha Grose announced her resignation to the city council, informing officials that the municipality’s entire full-time police staff, along with most of its part-time and volunteer officers, had stepped down. Grose also filed her own resignation with the city clerk on the same day.
“It is with my extreme sorrow that our entire full-time police department has resigned, most of our part-time police. And also, I’ve also filed my resignation with the city clerk today,” Grose stated during the session.
The resignations followed mounting tensions between the police department and town leadership. Milner Police Chief Lamar Bunn pointed to specific grievances involving Mayor Craig Timmons, accusing city hall of placing a secret tracking device on his truck. According to Bunn, the device was purchased with personal funds and installed on his vehicle without the knowledge of the city council or his supervisor, the city administrator. Bunn also stated he had been falsely accused of having an affair with the city manager.
Despite the friction, Bunn expressed deep personal ties to the area, noting his family’s long history in local law enforcement. “Here’s the thing, still I’m looking for a glimmer of hope to stay in the city. I don’t know why. It’s because I’ve devoted my life to Lamar County. 15, 16 years with the sheriff’s office and now I’m back here in this county. My dad was here in ’74 policing with his police department. I got roots here,” Bunn said.
In formal resignation letters, Bunn cited fundamental differences with city leadership concerning legal compliance and ethical standards. He wrote that recent actions and governance decisions within city leadership had compromised his ability to perform his duties with integrity.
Other members of the department echoed these sentiments. Milner Police Captain Craig Walton submitted a resignation letter that called for an official inquiry into the mayor’s actions, urging residents and city council members to pursue an independent investigation into potential violations of the mayor’s oath of office or the rights of city employees.
While city officials had previously disagreed over administrative matters such as police overtime policies and a proposal to restrict officers from using city vehicles for outside part-time work, those policy disputes were not cited as the primary drivers behind the mass exodus. Multiple other police department employees also stepped down, pointing directly to persistent disagreements with the mayor and city council as the catalyst for their departures.
Mayor Craig Timmons acknowledged the concerns raised during the meeting and stated that he hopes the leadership and operational crisis can be resolved.
