Small Georgia town reinstates police force after mayor fires them over social media posts

The town council of a small town in Georgia on Friday reinstated its 11-person police force, just days after the mayor fired all the employees for allegedly making comments about his wife online.The Cohutta town council voted to reinstate the officers with backpay after learning that the firings did not follow the town charter which mandated that employees be given 30 days notice, according to the Associated Press. 
Cohutta Mayor Ron Shinnick posted a sign on the Cohutta Police Department’s door Wednesday that informed all officers that they had been terminated and that the department was disbanded. It was not clear if they had a warning ahead of time.
The firings come after the officers made inappropriate comments about former town clerk Pam Shinnick, Ron Shinnick’s wife, on social media, per Fox News. She was fired from her job after she allegedly created a “hostile work environment,” but officers claimed she continued to work and had access to the personal information of the town’s 1,000 residents.
The mass firing has raised questions from the town’s residents about Cohutta’s leadership, potential retaliation and public safety, but the town council decided Friday to table a resolution to remove Ron Shinnick as mayor.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage. 

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