Union City Police Officers To Be Fired
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Union City Police Chief Joe Garner confirmed he is firing four of his officers involved in an insurance fraud case, effective Saturday. Residents in Union City had no problem expressing their opinions on the termination of these four police officers. “I think it’s a good think because we don’t need dishonest police officers, and it opens up an opportunity for new cops to come in who actually deserve their job,” said Autumn. Their firing was sparked by a TBI investigation into fellow officer Mike Hogg, who was accused of filing a false insurance claim on a 4-wheeler, and collected on it. The officers were said to have known about the activity but said nothing. “I do feel as police officers that they should follow the rules and regulations because they expect the community to follow the rules and regulations, so I think they should have a higher standard than the community,” said Lyda Rice. But others disagree. “They’re not really held to a higher standard, but when enforcing the law they should at least be held up to it, and I think if they’re breaking the law they should be terminated,” said Joseph Garner. Authorities said patrol officers Ashley Thompson, Randy O’Dell, and David Jones worked the same shift as Hogg and are being terminated as a result of policy violation. According to the Union City Police Department website, there are 34 officers on the force, but with the four officers officially gone on Saturday, the police department will be down nearly 15%. The officers have 10 days to appeal their firing.
