Bonifay City Council votes to fill positions at Police Department

BONIFAY Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - After the future of Bonifay’s Police Department was in question, city council members voted unanimously to fill open positions at a meeting on Monday.

At a special meeting on Friday, the Bonifay City Council voted to temporarily suspend operations at the police department. The move came after the police chief sent in his resignation letter. Also, the assistant police chief recently passed away and SGT. Jody Long was fired. Council members said the department was basically down to a skeleton crew. Last week, the remaining officers were placed on administrative leave with pay and were asked to turn in their badges, equipment, guns, and cars on Friday.

However, city officials took the next step in filling the void at Monday’s council meeting. Bonifay City Council Members voted to fill the department’s open positions within a certain time period.

“Tonight, the Mayor recommended that we take 30 days,” Bonifay City Clerk Rickey Callahan said. “We advertise for a new chief, a new assistant chief, and a police officer to get us back in full force.”

The city council unanimously agreed with the recommendation. City officials said it’s the best route to take at this point.

“This will allow us to keep our good employees,” Callahan said. “They felt like they were maybe being mistreated because they had been suspended, although they were suspended with pay, or put on administrative leave pay. But, this allows us to walk up to those officers tonight and say, you still have a job with the Bonifay Police Department.”

The City Clerk confirmed the remaining three Bonifay Police Officers will still be paid in the interim.

In the meantime, Callahan said the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office will continue to oversee law enforcement in the city.