Flomaton Police Chief Justin Hetrick Resigns After Less Than a Year; Mayor Says Department Is Not Closing

FLOMATON, Ala. — After less than a year on the job, Flomaton Police Chief Justin Hetrick is stepping down, and he and the mayor are offering different explanations why.

Mayor Arthur Odom said Hetrick submitted his resignation Monday. The chief’s last day is Friday, Nov. 13.

“Not closing”

The resignation came a day after Odom posted a public service announcement on Facebook. Writing in all capital letters, the mayor said “the Flomaton Police Department is not closing.” He wrote that rumors were being spread and that he was concerned about the damage they were doing to the morale of officers and dispatchers.

“The statement has been made that some of the department employees are worrying about getting paid,” Odom said. “As long as I’ve been here and as far as I can ever remember, there’s not been, well there’s been an issue making payroll, but they’ve always received their payroll. They haven’t went without a paycheck.”

He said that was the reason the chief gave for leaving.

“His reason was he was worried about getting a paycheck and he was really concerned about the police department closing down,” Odom said. “I tried my best to assure him that was not going to happen.”

The chief responds

Hetrick responded Thursday afternoon by sharing his resignation letter on the police department’s Facebook page. He wrote that the decision was not based on any rumor or speculation and that it was a personal decision made for the betterment of his family.

What’s next

Odom said the town is already looking for its next chief.

“We have to go through the hiring process, you know,” he said. “It has to be in the newspaper for so long. I think it’s for a couple of weeks or so. We will go through the interview process.”

The mayor encouraged residents with questions to contact his office.