COHUTTA, GA. — The Cohutta town council has scheduled a special meeting for Friday evening to discuss reinstating the police department after Mayor Ron Shinnick fired the chief and all the officers. A notice posted outside the Cohutta Town Hall said the council will also consider a request for the mayor's "immediate resignation."

A sign posted earlier announced that the police department had been dissolved and directed people who need help to call a non-emergency county number. The jobs of the police chief and about ten officers were terminated as of Wednesday morning.

Shinnick said he took action because of comments officers posted on social media. The mayor did not provide additional detail about the specific posts.

Former police sergeant Jeremy May said the firing involved a complaint he and other officers had raised about the mayor's wife, Pam Shinnick, who had served as town clerk. "This all comes to personal vendetta from the mayor, and I wholeheartedly believe that. We took a stand for transparency, and in result, every one of them has lost their jobs," May said.

Former Cohutta Police Chief Greg Fowler said he could not comment in detail because officers were clearing out the police department and removing equipment from the building. Fowler did not indicate when he would be available for further comment.

The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office said deputies will help townspeople if they need assistance, as there are no police officers working in Cohutta. The town has a population of about 930 and is located just south of the Tennessee state line, about 100 miles northwest of Atlanta.