A discussion regarding adding more officer positions to the Fayette Police Department became contentious and heated during the most recent regular meeting of the Fayette city council on Tuesday, September 22.

City Marshal Bo Wells requested the council allow him to enlarge the department from six positions to eight, not including the Marshal’s position, which is elected. The department currently has a roster of six officers, although only five are filled. Wells contends that his officers are facing burnout and he can’t provide coverage of the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Officers currently work 12-hour shifts, from either 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“In speaking with all of my officers in the last couple of weeks, specifically here lately, last week, we’re experiencing severe crisis in staff and staff shortage,” Wells said. Only three officers, he told the council, are able to be on the road. That is because one is injured. Wells is also still on light duty since breaking his leg after he tripped over a fuel hose while filling up his patrol vehicle in November, 2026. Another officer is also not on duty due to a family emergency, he said.

“These are the types of things I’ve been…trying to explain why we need the budget of eight instead of six. Unforeseen circumstances is only a small part of it, and that’s what we’re experiencing right now is some of those unforeseen circumstances.”

He cited concerns surrounding the safety of having only one officer on duty at a time. Several times, the city has had no coverage from the department during overnight hours, although Howard County Sheriff’s deputies often provide backup during those vacancies.

Most domestic incidents, he said, occur between 2 and 4 a.m., and police officers are often the first on the scene during medical emergencies.

“They’ve been pleading with me to try to get additional officers added back to our rosters and revise the budget and go back and see what we can do,” Wells said.

The department’s budget during the 2025-2026 fiscal year ending in June was $656,337. But only $597,290.98 was used. So the council used last year’s expenditures as the new budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year that began on July 1, although Wells asked for a budget of $811,135.

Wells said that department had operated for several years with eight officers and says having fewer is detrimental to the department. But while the department had eight officers budgeted, figures show it has actually operated with an average of 5.8 officers over the last 10 years, with that number including the elected City Marshal.

Wells called that a retention issue.

And that’s when tensions became heated. Mayor Greg Stidham questioned Marshal Wells as to where he stays over night. A requirement of the position is that the Marshal must live within city limits. But word around town has been that Wells often stays at a home in southern Cooper County most nights.

“I live here,” Wells said.

But when the mayor asked how many nights Wells was out of town, one of his officers, Mike Cabra, broke in before Wells could answer.

“This is pissing me off. He’s running his mouth towards the PD,” Cabra shouted in reference to Mayor Stidham.

Cabra was eventually escorted out of the meeting for the first time by Marshal Wells and again later by a fellow officer in attendance.

The mayor responded by requesting a written plan that he can review with the council.

Wells has been on the job for more than a year after serving as an officer with the department. He was appointed Marshal in August 2025 after then-Marshal David Ford retired. He later won a close race for a full term, 193 to 157, in April against fellow officer Brandon Abbott.

The election followed a proposal in November 2025 to change the leadership of the police department from an elected City Marshal to a Chief of Police, who would be appointed by the city and would not face the same legal obligation to live within the city limits. Voters rejected the measure 169 to 134. Many opposing the change said they viewed the effort as an underhanded move to eventually dissolve the police department in favor of contracting with the sheriff's department for citywide policing.

Southwest Ward Alderman J. B. Waggoner recalled private meeting he recently had with Wells. “I said to you, ‘This is the political part of your job.’ And I said to you that night, ‘Put your budget together, meet with the administrator, the mayor, all early and often. Lobby the council and fight for what you want.’ I have not seen any of that.”

Waggoner said it wasn’t until the present council meeting that Wells had given real data to backup his request for more officers.

City council members also questioned the scheduling method and suggested changes could alleviate the problems.

“We’ve looked at the data, and Fayette has not operated under eight officers as a collective average,” Southwest Ward Alderman Brad Patty said to Marshal Wells. “It’s pretty factual how many officers we’ve had. I think most people that have lived in town realize that we haven’t had eight officers very often.”

Wells said that from 7 p.m. to around 2 or 3 a.m., his department needs two officers on duty at a time. “This is not Mayberry,” he added.

Alderman Patty further scrutinized the department’s scheduling. If the department has six officers providing 24-7 coverage, that averages 28 hours per shift, he explained. “You’ve got 12 more hours for each officer that you can overlap. I have no problem considering eight officers, but don’t come here and say that there’s just no opportunity at all on your end. It’s disingenuous.”

Patty asserted there are adjustments that need to happen within the department.

Northwest Ward Alderman Pat Roll also criticized the 12-hour schedules. “It makes it difficult to manipulate the overlapping that you say we need. You can’t do that 6 to 6 and 6 to 6. Ask anybody that has to work 12 hours a day continually; you’re going to get burned out no matter how many officers you have. That’s something we’ve been talking to you about for over a year.”

Alderman Patty asked that even if the council approved 15 or 20 officers, what’s the point since the department can’t retain more than 5.8?

Further discussion between Officer Cabra and Mr. Patty outlined the burnout experienced, but didn’t drill down to identifying retention problems other than just not having multiple officers on duty at a time.

“I think we all can read between the lines that if we don’t give you eight officers, then everything’s going to collapse, and it’s all our fault,” Patty said to Marshal Wells. “Basically, you’re running around with three officers. The collective average that we have is 5.8. Let’s just say we approve 20. Could you get 20 officers? That is an issue we have to work together on.”

Wells said he believes he could fill two more positions if they are authorized by the council. “We have plenty of academy classes happening. But without those positions, I can’t recruit,” he said.

Mayor Stidham concluded the discussion by once again asking Marshal Wells to put a plan together to present to the council.

In other business, the council gave unanimous approval to keep traffic around the downtown square two-way. The decision came two weeks after it voted 5-0 to repave downtown in an effort to permanently fix parking stripe issues at a cost of $215,766.97.

Approval of the new striping scheme was tabled until further data could be presented.

The six-member board also heard objections to possible changes to animal ordinances from neighbors in an area along Highway 5 and Spring Street who keep livestock. They say the animals are part of 4-H education for their children.

The Fayette Board of Aldermen meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month in City Hall. Meetings are open, agendas are published in advance, and the public is invited.