Eagle Point Police Chief Resigns as City Hall Tensions Rise
Two labor groups are calling for an outside investigation into city leadership.
AT A GLANCE
Resignation: Eagle Point Police Chief Jim Hamilton will leave his position Sept. 7.
No-confidence votes: The Eagle Point Police Officers’ Association and Teamsters Local 223 both voted unanimously that they have no confidence in City Administrator Aaron Prunty and HR/Finance Director Melissa Owens.
Next steps: Labor groups are calling for Prunty and Owens to be placed on administrative leave while an outside investigation is conducted.
Updated: 8:15 PM
EAGLE POINT, Ore. — Eagle Point Police Chief Jim Hamilton is stepping down next month, while two labor groups representing police officers and other city employees are calling for an outside investigation into the city administrator and human resources director.
Hamilton announced during Tuesday night’s Eagle Point City Council meeting that his final day as police chief will be Sept. 7. He submitted his resignation to the city Aug. 20.
Hamilton has described his departure as the result of philosophical differences with city administration over the future and operation of the police department.
““I’m trying to do the right thing, which in my opinion was to step out of my role. The hardest part of it all is that if I am ineffective in my position, then I don’t need to be here. I owe that to the team of people who come in every day and work their tails off.””
The resignation comes as both the Eagle Point Police Officers’ Association and Teamsters Local 223 have unanimously expressed no confidence in City Administrator Aaron Prunty and Human Resources/Finance Director Melissa Owens.
The police association, represented by the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police Labor Coalition, sent a letter Tuesday to Mayor Kathy Sell and the Eagle Point City Council calling for Prunty and Owens to be placed on administrative leave while an outside investigation is conducted.
“We believe Chief Hamilton’s reason for tendering his resignation is due to malfeasance, poor judgment and interference from Mr. Prunty and Ms. Owens in the operations of the Eagle Point Police Department,” the letter states.
Police Chief / Cover Photo: Eagle Point Police Chief Jim Hamilton will leave the department Sept. 7 after submitting his resignation. Eagle Point Police Department.
The association’s letter details a series of allegations involving management of city employees and the police department, including a dispute involving code enforcement and difficulties filling two vacant police sergeant positions. The association alleges an internal candidate was offered lower compensation and lost benefits and incentives, and that Prunty and Owens improperly refused to make the position eligible for overtime.
The letter also points to eight employee departures or employment disputes dating from 2021 through 2025 as evidence of what the association describes as a longstanding workplace problem. Among them, the association cites a police officer who was reinstated through arbitration after being terminated and says the city’s insurance carrier later settled a lawsuit involving unlawful employment practices.
Those claims are allegations made by the association and have not been independently established.
The letter argues Hamilton’s departure is part of a larger issue at City Hall.
“Chief Hamilton’s resignation is not the beginning of a problem; it is the latest and most visible consequence of a pattern that has cost this City experienced, capable employees for years,” the association wrote.
Teamsters Local 223, which represents other unionized Eagle Point employees, separately conducted a secret ballot vote that also resulted in a unanimous loss of confidence in Prunty and Owens.
The union expressed support for Hamilton and said his resignation should be viewed alongside concerns being raised by employees elsewhere in the city.
“Disagreements between employees and management are normal,” the Teamsters letter states. “It is not normal when employees across different departments, represented by different labor organizations, independently and unanimously express a loss of confidence in the same members of City leadership.”
Hamilton has said he was not involved with either union and did not know the extent of the concerns raised in the letters when he decided to resign.
Speaking about his own decision, Hamilton told KOBI that he and city administrators had reached a point where they differed over what should happen next with the department.
“You know, my decision, as I said, was made based on the fact that we just reached a point where there were philosophical differences between myself and the administration on what should be done next with the police department. And you know, at that point, it’s pretty clear that the right thing for me to do would be to step down and let somebody else come in that maybe is more in line with what the administration is looking for,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton joined Eagle Point as police chief in June 2023 following more than three decades with Grants Pass law enforcement.
He has expressed support for the officers he is leaving behind.
“We’ve got some really good people and really good officers who go out every day and put their life on the line, doing important work, and I wish nothing but the best for them,” Hamilton told the Rogue Valley Times.
Prunty and Owens have not publicly responded in detail to the allegations outlined by the labor groups.
Prunty told the Rogue Valley Times the city is beginning to plan for Hamilton’s departure.
“We are currently working through our succession plan. The city has a very strong management team, and a lieutenant who has over 20 years of law enforcement experience. I anticipate he will play a key role as we work through the recruitment process,” Prunty said.
Neither labor group is simply asking the council to acknowledge its concerns. Both are urging elected officials to act, with the police association specifically requesting Prunty and Owens be placed on administrative leave while the allegations are reviewed independently.
For now, Hamilton remains Eagle Point’s police chief through Sept. 7, leaving the city council with questions extending well beyond who will next lead the police department.
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