Upheaval continues in the New Hampton Police Department.
Former NHPD Chief Tim Pederson stepped down amid controversy over an incident while he was off-duty in which the City said his conduct did not meet the expectations of the police chief’s position. Pederson resigned during the April 15th City Council meeting.
A petition has since been launched by Dawn Tiemessen to reinstate Pederson. As of noon Tuesday (04.30) 614 people had signed with a goal of 1,000. Tiemessen says she hopes to get on the agenda for the next City Council meeting on May 6th to present the petition to City leaders.
Doug Eagan, a 16-year member of the NHPD, was then named interim police chief. However, last week, Eagan himself resigned from the force.
That leaves just three certified officers on staff, although one officer is nearing completion of academy training to become certified and join the department soon.
Applications for the police chief position are being accepted through 5 pm May 2nd and are available on www.NewHamptonia.com.
No job listing for the open police officer position had been posted on the City website as of Tuesday (04.30).
