The city of McColl, SC, had a rude awakening when its entire police force resigned this week. Bob Hale, the chief, put his resignation in first, then the four other officers he had brought with him followed suit. Hale took to Facebook to explain his reasons, citing a toxic work environment caused by a councilmember, harassment and hostility, and not enough resources.
Police Resign
“My personal decision to step away from the McColl Police Department can be attributed to repeated acts of harassment, personal attacks on my character, and the overall creation of a hostile work environment perpetuated by a specific Councilman,” the police chief explained in a public Facebook post.
He added, “For months, I have endured unwarranted and malicious behavior aimed at undermining my integrity and leadership. These actions have not only affected me personally but have also created a toxic atmosphere that has hindered the department’s ability to function effectively.” Hale claimed that “the majority of my tenure as Chief of Police was spent clearing the names of my officers as well as myself, from the numerous falsehoods that were made against us.”
While Hale didn’t name the councilman in question, former McColl Investigator Courtney Bulusan, who quit last week, identified him as Harry Benjamin, telling WMBF News, “I’m not going where I’m tolerated. I’m going to go where I’m celebrated.” Like the police chief, she cited lack of tools to do her job.
The small town has been rapidly losing citizens. The 2020 census listed the population at 2,174, but in 2023 that number was down to 1,993. While this may have contributed to budget cuts and not allocating more money for training, new officers, and equipment, the residents of McColl will still be without a police department beginning Friday, Nov. 29. McColl Mayor George Garner said he has asked other agencies close by to assist during the transition.
McColl isn’t the first city to lose its police department. On Oct. 31, three officers and its chief, the entire force, resigned in Geary, OK. That same day, two city council members also quit, and the mayor resigned after that. Councilmember Glen Coleman said in a letter that the city administration “should not allow personal goals or agendas to affect the city.”
Police Chief Alicia Ford, who resigned from the department, cited low budgets and being understaffed. The town used to have six officers, but that number dropped to just four. She had to do administrative work, one officer was stationed at the local high school, and the other two covered the city. “So that would [leave] two officers to do basically 24 hours … five to seven days a week,” she told Fox News. “But honestly, who wants to do that for extremely low pay?” She added, “They cut the jail. They cut our dispatch, and that put strain on us.”
Last year, the Minco, OK, police chief and city mayor resigned due to budget cuts that would slice the department’s funding in half. Also in 2023, the entire police force of Goodhue, MN, quit, claiming $22-an-hour pay gave “zero incentive” for officers to be on call or look forward to advancement.
Police officers resigning became a trend after cities decided to join defund the police movement. Staff were let go, budgets were cut, and personnel said they felt targeted by citizens and city staff because of the negative messages about law enforcement being circulated around the nation. But this isn’t just happening in blue states, as can be seen with McColl. Providing law enforcement enough resources and pay to risk their lives to protect citizens keeps dwindling. The men and women in blue are just not willing to put their lives on the line where they are not respected or fairly compensated by the officials in charge.
