Tension between the Warsaw Police Department and the city administration escalated Tuesday after the city council refused to approve a fund transfer for WPD.

In an internal memo, nearly all of WPD's 45 employees said they would not attend the Christmas lunch for city employees Monday. The memo, written by Sgt. Doug Brumfield, says: "We request the money to be used for our lunch to be placed in a special fund to use for gas for squad cars or any other emergency that arises between now and the end of the year. ..."

Brumfield's statement was in reference to the fact that Warsaw Police Chief Craig Allebach asked the council to approve an internal $5,000 transfer to pay for gasoline and cover possible emergency expenses until Dec. 31.

The council, with one member missing Monday, voted 3-3 to approve Allebach's request, normally a routine matter. An emergency meeting for noon Monday, during the city employees' Christmas lunch, was scheduled so the request could be acted on before the end of the year.

Allebach said today that police department employees are disgruntled, and that the decision by many to not attend the lunch underscores the low morale in the department.

"I come in every day and spend more time trying to mediate things than trying to do what we're here for," he said.

He also said that of the department employees who were not going to the lunch, several had not planned to attend anyway.

Brumfield said the memo was "most definitely" a show of support for Allebach.

"Craig Allebach is a great chief," he said. "He takes care of the guys, he's fair, he's a good cop." [[In-content Ad]]