The police chief and the entire small town police department resigned without much explanation.

(AP) — The police chief and three officers who make up all four members of the Geary, Oklahoma, police department and two city council members have resigned without much explanation.

Former police chief Alicia Ford did not give specific reasons for her resignation Thursday, but wrote on social media that the decision was difficult.

“It is with great sadness that I and the rest of the Geary Police Department will no longer serve this community,” Ford wrote, “but it was the right decision for me and the other officers.”

Ford, without going into detail, encouraged residents of the city of about 1,000 people, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Oklahoma City, to get to know the city council “and to be as involved in the life of the city as possible, especially to be present at city council meetings. »

Ford did not immediately return a telephone message for comment Saturday.

A woman who answered the phone Saturday at a number listed for Mayor Waylan Upchego said “not at this time” when a reporter asked to speak with Upchego about the resignation.

In a statement, city officials thanked the former chief and officers, wishing them well, and said an interim police chief had been selected and that the Blaine and Canadian County sheriff’s offices would assist in patrolling the city.

“We would like to inform our citizens that we are conducting business as usual,” the statement said. “If you have an emergency, please call 911 as usual and an officer will be dispatched to you.”

City Council members Glen “Rocky” Coleman Jr. and Christy Miller also announced their resignations, leaving the four-member council with just one member due to a previous vacancy.

Coleman wrote on social media that his values did not align with the city’s direction and said communication between the administration and council was “substantially weak” but offered no further explanation.

“Council members are about the last ones who know anything,” Coleman wrote. “There are often times when I don’t know something (that’s planned) before the meeting starts.”

Miller did not immediately return a call to the number listed for her.

City officials did not name an interim leader but named JJ Stitt, who described himself as a 27-year law enforcement veteran, a county deputy, a member of a task force investigating Internet crimes against children and a distant relative of Gov. Kevin Stitt. — told The Oklahoman that he is serving as interim chief.

Stitt did not return a call to the number listed for him, but told the newspaper he hopes to add officers in the coming days. He said he has an “opportunity” to pick up the phone and bring experienced officers to the city to help.

“I’ve been in the game a long time,” Stitt said.

The resignations came more than a year after the entire police department a resident of the small town of Goodhue, Minnesota, resigned due to low pay.