City Terminates All But Two in Police Force

By SHANE ALLEN
Updated 5:36 PM CDT, Mon, Jul 26, 2010
26 Comments

Nearly every police officer for a small north Texas city was terminated from the payroll during a council meeting Saturday.

The Combine City Council in Kaufman County let go 11 of their 13 police officers with a 5 – 0 vote, citing a department reorganization and lack of funds.

Mayor pro tem Tonya Ratcliff also said officers were expected to conduct themselves in a professional, open and honest manner, and councilmembers acted because those responsibilities were not being met.

Despite citing budget issues as a factor in the decision, Ratcliff could not provide specific information Saturday as to how much money the city would save when questioned by reporters.

“The town needs a police department that they can depend on and trust, and that’s what were working towards,â€