After 35 years in the department, including ten years at the top, the Lebanon Police Chief has retired- 3 ½ years before he planned to.
His resignation letter probably didn't surprise many city officials.
A dark cloud has been hanging over the LPD since the new mayor came into office last month.
We first told you about the feud between those two parties of power, the mayor and the PD, a few weeks ago.
One of mayor CP Craig’s first duties was to restructure the police department, resulting in the demotion of nine supervisors.
Things got really heated this week, though, when two officers, and today the chief, quit.
“I feel pretty good.”
Lebanon Police Chief Sam Mustard is all smiles for the first time in weeks.
It's not because of a job well done, it’s because of a job that's just plain done.
“I just feel like I can't stay here. The police department needs a chief that can get along with the mayor and work and that's just not me,” Mustard explains.
After a month of butting heads with Lebanon’s new mayor over a restructuring that took rank away from nine of Mustard's officers, the chief has stepped down.
Now two departments that share a building and also a responsibility to the citizens of Lebanon are having a very public dispute and it's resulted in more than just a change in structure.
Officers Randy Foster and Dustin Young have decided to pursue law enforcement elsewhere.
“I wanted to spend my career here,” says Foster.
Neither of the men was part of what the LPD calls the demotion process, but both say they worried their jobs were in jeopardy.
“There’s no security, no stability and I don't feel comfortable staying in that environment,” Foster continues.
Mayor CP Craig says he never threatened to remove either officer from the force.
In fact, quite the opposite.
He claims he wanted their, and the rest of the PD’s, input.
“Any changes I want them to help craft. That's part of good change management,” Craig explains.
The disgruntled police officers say Craig's changes were made too soon and without consent or support from the ones affected by them.
Young says, “I loved everything about my job."
Now those affected are willing to change- places of employment.
The mayor says the three who resigned are not representative of the entire department.
He says many officers have been supportive and have been making suggestions on how to improve the LPD.
Craig says his restructuring isn't necessarily permanent and that he is open to suggestions from the public, the police board, and most importantly, the officers themselves.