The Ridgetop Police Department isn’t finished serving and protecting just yet.
According to The Associated Press, Robertson County Judge Bill Goodman has signed a temporary restraining order that will allow the Ridgetop Police Department to resume operations.
“Ridgetop Mayor Tony Reasoner announced the dissolution in a special-called meeting last week, saying the city of 1.4 square miles (3 square kilometers) and about 2,000 residents just couldn’t afford a police department anymore,” according to The AP.
“The plaintiffs in the civil suit against the city include Ridgetop Police Department Chief Bryan Morris and two police officers. A preliminary hearing on the restraining order was set for July 1. City officials have scheduled a meeting on Monday.”
As The Tennessee Star reported last week, people in Ridgetop say the mayor’s allegedly hurt ego and personal vendetta against Morris led to this situation.
In March, The Star reported Morris said Reasoner and Vice Mayor McCaw Johnson were out to cripple his department.
Morris said the two men demanded his officers issue a certain number of tickets every month to generate revenue for the town. Morris then made this information public.
“It’s retaliation,” Morris told The Star last week, before Judge Goodman’s ruling.
“They took all our guns, our badges, our cars and our equipment — and then they booted us out.”
What’s more, city officials began changing the locks on the police department’s front doors before city council members even gathered to take their vote, Morris said.
Without the police, only Robertson County sheriff’s deputies could respond to any and all calls for law enforcement out of Ridgetop.
City resident Brent Martin the The Star last week he also believes city officials acted out of spite.
“Now we have a crisis. The department has been here more than 40 years. The city charter says the city must have a police force. One man’s ego and vengeance is dominating this,” Martin said.
Reasoner never asked if the city wanted a referendum on whether to raise property taxes to pay for the force or to do away with it, Martin said.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Either way, the citizens will be extorted! Why does a “city” of 2000 people need a police department, along with a police chief, in the first place? But then again, why do they need a Mayor? Seems to me like it ALOT of overhead! But if the citizens really want them, jack up the taxes! You too can be just like California, New York, New Jersey….
Kevin, It might not be of a concern to you but, its nice to have someone look after your home and Family when you travel out of town or go on Vacation, When it can take up to 30 minutes for State or County to respond then a local officer can be there in a couple of minutes, Yes a a Citizen of Ridgetop I do want our Local Police Dept, much more than ladder trucks for our Fire Dept, you mention taxes, I think most of our residents have no problem except the ones (in office) that has several properties) to increase our taxes since it hasn’t been done since like 1997. So if that’s what it takes, we need to VOTE ON IT !!