The Resignation of Surfside Police Department Officers
In a shocking turn of events, several officers, including the chief, of the Surfside Police Department in Texas have resigned. The resignations came as a result of alleged issues with the city council, as reported by KHOU 11 News.
There were about nine officers in the police department, and it is said that four of them, including the chief, decided to step down. Among them was Jennifer Montiel, a lieutenant for the reserve division who had been with the department for two and a half years.
According to Montiel, the officers faced backlash and harassment from certain residents connected to city council members. Complaints were filed when officers began enforcing laws on residents, not just visitors, leading to a hostile work environment where they constantly feared losing their jobs.
“I tried as much as I could for me and my chief to keep the department together because all we talked about was unity and family. But we can’t do our work or do that because we have other people harassing us,” Montiel said.
Montiel also revealed that more officers are planning to resign, and she is calling for an investigation into the city council’s behavior. The council, in a 3-2 vote, accepted the chief’s resignation.
The news of the resignations first came to light through a now-deleted post on the Surfside police’s Facebook page, which has since been deactivated.
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