The small Texas city of Hawkins now stands without any law enforcement protection after its city council voted to terminate the final police officer during a heated Monday night meeting.
Lieutenant Eric Tuma was fired from the Hawkins Police Department in a narrow 3-2 vote by the city council.
The termination was based on alleged “dereliction of sworn duties” and “abandonment of post.”
Mayor Deborah Lynn Rushing celebrated the controversial decision that left her community without police protection.
The mayor expressed enthusiasm about implementing new policies following state law.
“We are excited to write policies and pass policies that follow the law of the state of Texas and that everyone has to go by that law,” Rushing stated following the vote.
Monday’s meeting marked the first city council session since Rushing faced arrest in May.
The mayor was booked on tampering with government records charges related to secretly recording conversations with city officials.
Rushing allegedly recorded several council members without their knowledge during an April 24 meet and greet event for Hawkins City Council candidates.
These secret recordings were not made available to the public as required by law.
During one of those covert recordings, Rushing reportedly took credit for