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America's small towns are disbanding police forces, citing hiring woes. It's not all bad
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A Goodhue police car is parked outside City Hall on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Goodhue, Minn. The small town will soon be without a police department, an exodus spurred by low pay for the chief and his officers. - photo by Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP
GOODHUE, Minnesota (AP) — As Goodhue Police Chief Josh Smith struggled this summer to fill vacancies in his small department, he warned the town's City Council that unless pay and benefits improved, finding new officers would never happen. When nothing changed, Smith quit. So did his few remaining officers, leading the Minnesota town of 1,300 residents to shutter its police force in late August.