Small Florida town’s entire police department quits
Officials in a small Florida town have said the entire six-member police department in the town has resigned, as police departments across the country face funding cuts and resignations.
The police department and police chief in Melbourne Village, Florida, handed in their resignation notices this week amid clashes with the town government.
Most of the resignations will take effect Friday, forcing the town’s volunteer-only commission to decide whether to rebuild the department or contract the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement coverage.
The commission is considering a proposed agreement with the Sherriff’s Office to have them patrol the town and handle emergency calls, along with other law enforcement duties.
Melbourne Village Mayor Tabitha Neimann said the town has had coverage from the Sheriff’s Office for ‘the last six years,’ and also said there is ‘no singular reason’ for the resignations.
The Melbourne Village Police station is shown here after all six officers resigned from their positions
Melbourne Village Chief of Police Gary Loos also retired from the force on Friday, leaving the department after less than three years
Loos’ resignation can be seen here as he writes to Mayor Tabitha Neimann that he is retiring from his position ‘due to health concerns’
She also said ‘regardless of the ultimate direction chosen by the town commission and citizens of Melbourne Village, rest assured that the town’s residents and businesses will continue to receive comprehensive law enforcement.’
Gary Loos, the town’s now-former Police Chief, had been in law enforcement for over four decades and was appointed to the position in 2019.
While Loos could not be reached for comment on the resignations, a former officer with the force indicated the department had been at odds with the town government for a while.
Angelo Caravano, who joined the force in 2019 but quit last month, said the contention stemmed from disputes over pay and day-to-day operations.
‘Some of the officers wanted pay raises, so they were fighting about that,’ Caravano told FloridaToday.
The town allotted a budget of $405,000 to the police department for the upcoming year.
‘The reality of it is, is that this is a small town and they really can’t afford to pay anything comparable to what the bigger cities are offering,’ Caravano continued.
Melbourne Village is located along the east coast of Florida, about an hour away from Orlando.
Caravano said the town is generally safe and there’s ‘not a lot going on’ in the leafy green community.
‘You don’t see any burglaries,’ the former detective said. ‘Basically, you have a few death investigations, traffic accidents and a few thefts at the Target store.’
Town officials, including Mayor Neimann, have declined to give any reason on the resignations or elaborate on them further.
