The East Texas town of Hawkins has taken a dramatic turn by eliminating its entire police department.
On June 17, the Hawkins City Council voted to terminate the department’s only remaining employee, Lieutenant Eric Tuma, citing “dereliction of sworn duties” and “abandonment of post,” according to council agenda notes. With Tuma’s dismissal, the Hawkins Police Department is effectively dissolved.
“I’m very distraught and can’t believe it,” Councilmember Eric Maloy told local outlet KETK following the vote. “They want our police back. They miss them. The community, the citizens.”
Tuma, a Hawkins native, had recently informed city officials and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office that he would be taking time off to handle a family emergency, KLTV reported. Despite this notification, Hawkins Mayor Debbie Rushing stated during the meeting that the city had received complaints that Tuma was not responding to calls.
This latest personnel shake-up adds to an ongoing leadership crisis that has plagued the city since 2021.
Most recently, in February 2024, former Police Chief Guy McKee and two other officers resigned. That same month, Municipal Court Judge Kyle Waggner also stepped down, and Mayor Rushing fired three remaining officers. She explained those terminations were due to “improper hiring practices and a desire to start over the right way,” claiming the officers had never been formally approved by the city council.
At that point, Lieutenant Tuma was the last officer left to serve a community of roughly 1,300 residents, located 20 miles north of Tyler.
“It’s amazing to me that there are still good cops that want to work in small towns and make it a better place, and we really just need it to go back to the way it was,” Rushing told KETK.
However, Rushing herself has become a lightning rod in the community. Just months after firing the three officers, she was arrested in May for allegedly “tampering with government records with intent to harm,” according to local reports.
With no full-time police force in place, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office is now responsible for responding to calls in Hawkins. Residents and local officials alike are raising concerns over public safety, response times and the breakdown of institutional trust.
As city leadership remains embroiled in controversy and turnover, the future of law enforcement in Hawkins remains unclear — leaving many residents to wonder who will be there when they need help most.
