St. Louis Post-Dispatch
NEW HAVEN, Mo. — The police department here was dissolved on Friday after the police chief resigned just weeks after taking office, citing concerns with the handling of evidence in the department.
Police Chief John Hallquist, who was sworn in as chief on Jan. 11, announced his resignation Wednesday in a scathing letter addressed to New Haven’s aldermen, mayor and city administrator.
The letter read, in part: “Circumstances surrounding the department, and the information I have discovered that (was) unknown to me prior to my appointment, have brought me to this decision.
“Because of what I now know, I have no further desire to be associated with the New Haven Police Department in any capacity.”
The chief also wrote that some of the information he discovered required alerting the “proper authorities.”
He also noted that the residents and city administration in New Haven had been kind and supportive.
After the chief’s resignation, the New Haven Board of Aldermen held a special meeting on Friday evening and voted unanimously to dissolve the department, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office will take over law enforcement responsibilities in the town of about 2,400 residents.
Hallquist retired after working 30 years with the St. Louis County Police Department. He previously came out of retirement to work in Ellisville before taking over as chief in New Haven, according to The Missourian.
When he was hired, he said one of his main priorities was fixing the “broken” relationship between residents and police in the small town.
Franklin County Sheriff Steve Pelton said his office will audit and inventory the evidence held by the city’s police department and ensure crime reporting continues without interruption.
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