One American city’s entire full-time police force has resigned amid claims that its mayor secretly tracked the chief of police’s truck. The city manager and most volunteer reserve officers are also leaving too.

Police chief Lamar Bunn accused the mayor of Milner, Craig Timmons, of putting a tracking device on his vehicle without authorisation.

Asked at a council meeting whether he was responsible, Timmons responded: ‘I have no comment.’

The departures were announced at the Georgia city’s council meeting on October 19. City manager Tausha Grose confirmed the officers’ resignations before revealing she had, in fact, submitted her own resignation as well.

The chief alleged that the tracker had been bought with personal funds and fitted without the knowledge of either the council or his supervisor.

He also accused Timmons of monitoring him through City Hall’s security cameras, describing the strain of constantly looking over his shoulder.

In a somewhat salacious turn of events, Fox 5 Atlanta reports Bunn also used the meeting to reject claims that he’d had an affair with Grose.

He said: ‘I’ve been accused of having an affair with the city manager and I know that y’all are tired of hearing it but I’m living it still.’

‘Not true,’ he continued. ‘Hadn’t slept with her. There’s my wife right there.’

Bunn told WSB-TV that he had consulted an outside agency about whether placing a tracking device on his truck would breach the law or his rights.

He’s also considering legal action against the mayor, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Police captain Craig Walton had been the first to resign, Bunn said. Walton called for an independent investigation into the mayor’s conduct, raising concerns in his resignation letter about the allegedly privately funded tracker.

Other departing officers cited disagreements with the mayor and members of the council.

Chief Bunn, who submitted his resignation on October 16, said he hadn’t asked colleagues to resign alongside him.

Discussions at the meeting covered overtime and restrictions on officers using city vehicles for second jobs.

Bunn and Grose said those policy disputes hadn’t caused their resignations, although WSB-TV reported that restrictions on off-duty work were a factor for another officer.

Milner has fewer than 1,000 residents and is around 45 miles south of Atlanta. The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office is expected to provide policing when the officers leave.

Despite handing in his notice, Bunn told WSB-TV he’d consider staying if circumstances changed.

Timmons told the council that he hoped the situation could soon be resolved.

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