Small village loses its police force after officers resign

CRAIG BEACH, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) - Officers with the Craig Beach Police Department in Ohio have resigned.

Craig Beach is a small village of around 1,000 people in Mahoning County.

The police force is made up of seven part-time members covering 20 hours a week. Monday night, five resigned, with the other two on active duty in the military.

“Just a lot of discord between us and the council not getting equipment that we need, not getting bills paid, just really a hostile work environment and it just got to a point where enough is enough,” Sgt. Renatta Griffith, a now-former Craig Beach police officer, said.

Griffith said it all came to a head during Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Mayor Jim Becker said he is reassuring the community about getting them police coverage.

“I will work to get them police coverage, so temporarily, we have police coverage,” Becker said.

The mayor was seen changing the locks on the police department door on Wednesday evening after the officers resigned.

The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office is picking up the slack in Craig Beach.

The mayor said the council needs to decide if they will rehire those police positions or move forward with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office permanently.

People who live in Craig Beach had mixed feelings about the resignations, but when they call for help, they just want someone to respond.

“I’m kind of disgusted with it because when we did call the police. They were never around anyway,” Craig Beach resident Denise Allman said.

“I think that we should figure out what the main issue is and get that issue resolved. Get those officers back,” Torrance Locke, another Craig Beach resident, said.

The former officers on the police force say they would be willing to come back to Craig Beach police.

However, Griffith said things need to change.

The former officers hope the council will come to the table and discuss how to find a path forward.