Entire police department abruptly fired after evidence room break-in

Controversy is brewing in a small Appalachian mountain town where the
entire police department was abruptly fired. 

In a social media post on its official Facebook account Tuesday, the
Barrackville, West Virginia, Police Department announced that its full
staff had been relieved of duty by the mayor and city council “effective
immediately.” 

“We are sincerely grateful for the support, trust, and encouragement
shown to us by the Barrackville community throughout our service,” the
post read. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve and protect
this town.” 

The town’s police chief, Zachary Freeburn, resigned last week in a
dispute with council members over allegations of overreach, KTLA sister
station WBOY in Clarksburg reported. 

Then, Tuesday morning, a police sergeant told the television station he
showed up to work and found the department’s evidence room had been
broken into. 

The sergeant, identified by WBOY only as “Sgt. Hunt,” said he called a
meeting with Mayor Tom Straight and the Barrackville Town Council to
discuss the situation. He noted the council had previously expressed a
desire to inventory the department without officers present. 

Hunt said a council member later admitted to taking a set of police
keys. 

When he alleged that members of the town’s government were behind the
break-in, he and another officer were immediately placed on inactive
status. A police clerk also quit, Hunt said, adding that he intends to
seek whistleblower protection. 

The town council canceled its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday
evening, citing “a lack of sufficient information regarding items listed
under unfinished business.” 

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office will assume policing responsibilities
for the town, according to WBOY. 

In a statement prior to Tuesday’s announcement, Freeburn elaborated on
his decision to resign. 

He described a closed-door meeting with the newly elected council, in
which he claimed he was told a council member would directly supervise
the department going forward – something he said violated state law. 

“The mayor is in charge of all daily operations of the town and police
department, and the only person he can appoint to supervise a police
department is the chief of police,” Freeburn said. “The council member
then informed me of numerous changes they would be making, including
policy and procedural changes, along with directives that would require
most police activities to be approved in advance, including hours
worked.” 

Freeburn said he could not accept the new level of oversight, which he
described as “extremely dangerous” for the community. 

“In order to assure the best possible protection for the officers of the
Barrackville Police Department and the citizens of Barrackville, I stand
by my decision to resign immediately so these issues can be properly
addressed and transparency can be achieved,” he said. 

WBOY reported its attempts to reach town officials by phone or in person
were unsuccessful as of Tuesday afternoon. 

https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/entire-police-department-fired-barracki
lle/