Warm Springs residents speak out on police suspension

WARM SPRINGS, Ga. (WRBL) — On Wednesday, the Warm Springs police chief was fired and the police service was suspended. A department-wide investigation followed, and now residents are speaking out.

The city is asking neighboring police departments for help in maintaining emergency services, but some say the problems with police presence are not new.

“We have been disappointed with the police presence in town for some time,” said Sheila Lee, former mayor of Warm Springs. “Before the investigation began, we had very few police officers.”

Lee expressed doubts about the support provided by neighboring police authorities.

“I don’t think we can do that without them getting some compensation,” Lee said. “The sheriff in our county has said he’s willing to help us in any situation we need help in, and we’ve had to call him for a lot of calls because of the lack of police presence down here.”

Although Lee said police presence is minimal, former city councilwoman Gerri Thompson said it’s not unusual for the city to have a small police force.

“For a long time, we only had one person. When I first came to the city council, the city of Warm Springs only had one police officer. The worst part is going to be the city having to figure out how to keep someone on duty 24/7,” Thompson said.

The city says a department-wide investigation is ongoing, but Lee says the public wants more answers.

Lee said: “I understand that this is an ongoing investigation and they are not authorized to discuss what is going on, and we are willing to accept that to a certain extent. However, disbanding an entire police force in a small town is not a good thing.”