Florida Panhandle Town Stops Policing In Its Tracks

Defuniak Springs, Florida, east of Pensacola, just off the Elgin Air Force Base, recently had a heated run-off election, electing two new City Councilmembers and a City Marshal, and the Defuniak Herald brought word of their first city meeting. It sounds like it was very ugly, with gavel banging and stern words. Mac Work, one of the newly elected, proposed a city hiring freeze at his first opportunity, due to “budget issues.” (The city had four job openings, three of them in the police department.) The hiring freeze passed, so good, no new police for them. Fortunately, only one local woman has recently shot her friend in the face. The local paper hasn’t caught up to it yet, but shortly after this meeting, the city manager promptly resigned, with a vague statement that she didn’t feel she’d be able to get anything done. No joke. I think we should shut the city down and privatize it!