The Geary Police Department began looking for new officers after several officers left their jobs. Neighboring agencies stepped in to fill the gap.

“This is a vulnerable moment for the city – but it’s not the end of the world,” said Interim Geary Police Chief JJ Stitt.

On Thursday morning, Geary Police Chief Alicia Ford posted on her department’s Facebook page that she and the other Geary police officers will no longer serve the Geary community.

Ford said:

“I would encourage all members of this great community to take the time to get to know your councilors and be as involved in the city as possible, especially by attending council meetings.”

“Your voices are stronger when you stand as one, and you all have the power to influence the change you want to see in your community. It has been my honor to serve Geary, and I will cherish the people of this community forever.”

Stitt said he was prepared to take over as soon as Ford made the announcement.

“I got a call from the mayor, they had a problem, that they had heard rumors that their police department was going to leave them,” Stitt said. “I was kind of on standby when something happened, and lo and behold, it actually happened.”

Stitt is an outside law enforcement officer who the city has brought in to fill the lead role of Geary Police until the department can build up its power. Stitt said police departments in small towns face these risks.

“It happens more often than not,” Stitt says.

Stitt said four officers left the department Thursday and two others several weeks before Ford’s post.

“Right now we have two officers,” Stitt said.

However, Stitt said the news attention on the issue is a good sign. He said word has spread among potential candidates for Geary’s empty police cars.

“The coverage was great,” Stitt said. “I probably made fifteen calls today alone. We already have job interviews scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

Stitt said he remains hopeful he can help turn the page on an unexpected chapter of Geary Police.

“This will be a relatively fluid process,” Stitt said. “They are still being cared for in times like these – I won’t miss a beat and it will turn out to be a good thing.”

Stitt said policies between the city and police need to be addressed to improve relations and prevent this from happening again.

Stitt said this issue will not impact emergency services in Geary. The Blaine County and Canadian County Sheriff’s offices are assisting with responding to calls.