DELTA, Colo.—Embattled Police Chief Rich Bacher has resigned after a little more than a year on the job, City Manager Lanny Sloan said Tuesday.
Sloan said he could not speak for Bacher on why he decided to leave. Bacher did not have a listed phone number, and an e-mail seeking comment Tuesday night was not immediately returned.
“It’s been a stressful year for him for sure, but anything I would say would be speculation,” Sloan said. “But it’s been stressful with problems in the Police Department with him and with the employees.”
Bacher became chief in July 2006 after a nationwide search, becoming the first chief chosen from outside the department in more than 20 years.
In March, Bacher got a letter signed by most of his employees that claimed Bacher used “degrading and belittling behavior” toward employees. It said his physical actions showed “violent tendencies” and created a hostile work environment.
More recently, the department received a citizen’s complaint about how it handled a dispute in May involving a woman who was later found dead. A man charged in her death had been involved in a dispute with the woman.
An independent investigation into the complaint led to disciplinary actions, though Sloan would not give details, citing personnel privacy issues.
Cmdr. Roger Christian has been named interim chief during a nationwide search for a new chief.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
