• A small Alabama town will replace its entire police department after a grand jury indicted its chief and four other officers. The grand jury also recommended abolishing the law enforcement agency last month.
• The Hanceville City Council voted unanimously to halt the department’s operations and begin efforts to find a new chief who will hire an entirely new police force.
• Hanceville Mayor Jim Sawyer put the agency’s entire staff on administrative leave last month.

Full Story

A small Alabama town will now have to replace its entire police department after a grand jury indicted its chief and four other officers and recommended abolishing the law enforcement agency last month.

The Hanceville City Council voted unanimously on Monday, March 10, to halt the department’s operations and begin efforts to find a new chief who will hire an entirely new police force.

What led to this decision?

As Straight Arrow News previously reported, Hanceville Mayor Jim Sawyer put the agency’s entire staff on administrative leave in February.

His decision came after a grand jury found the department “operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency” and called it an “ongoing threat to public safety.”

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Who is serving as the town’s police force?

Officials said the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office will continue to handle police duties in the town until the new force is operational.

Former police chief Shane Marlin, four officers and one of the officers’ wives face charges including mishandling or tampering with evidence and drug-related charges. All six are set to be arraigned sometime in March.

Why did an investigation begin?

The grand jury indictment of the individuals came due to the death of 49-year-old 911 dispatcher Christopher Michael Willingham.

Forensic scientists determined he died of an accidental overdose from a cocktail of fentanyl and other drugs. The jury did not charge the officers in connection to Willingham’s death.

Cullman District Attorney Champ Crocker said, however, at a press conference, that Cunningham’s death was “the direct result” of the agency’s “negligence, lack of procedure, general incompetence and disregard for human life.”

What did investigators find?

Crocker also revealed that there was unrestricted access to the evidence room and some evidence was unusable. Crocker said pending cases are now under review as a result.

The district attorney displayed pictures of a hole in the wall of the room and a broomstick he says was used to open the door.

A preliminary audit of the room obtained by NBC News reportedly revealed missing drugs including cocaine, pills, heroin and weapons such as a handgun and 30 undocumented firearms.

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What are locals saying?

At the City Council meeting on Monday, some people reportedly said they were satisfied with the decision to replace and rebuild the police force. Others, however, said it was unfair to employees not implicated in the case. The department employed around a dozen workers.