Peabody chief quits, cites
‘slander’
Staff writer
Peabody police chief Philip Crom abruptly resigned at a city council meeting Monday night.
“The last couple of weeks have been kind of tough for me stress-wise,” Crom said. “My doctor has told me it’s time to hang up the chief’s spot and go back to something a little less stressful.
“That’s not due to the job; that’s due to certain individuals in this city that think they can still control this city, what’s going on in this city, and try to make up lies and rumors about me, the mayor, and my officer.
“If this stuff doesn’t stop, you guys are going to have a hard time finding a police department to stay. A lot of slander going on. I would suggest a lawyer to try to purge some of the slander.”
The resignation leaves Eric Watts as Peabody’s lone police officer.
Watts holds temporary provisional certification pending completion of training, according to the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training.
If he attends basic training at Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, he must stop work while he attends the three-month training program.
If Watts was earlier certified in a different state, he could become certified in Kansas by taking online classes and passing an in-person written test with a minimum score of 70%.
Watts returned from unexplained personal leave “more than a week ago,” according to mayor Catherine Weems.
Weems was not expecting Crom’s resignation and said designation of an interim chief was “to be determined.”
Asked whether Watts was certified to be chief, Weems said, “potentially.”
Crom became chief in July, 2024, having previously worked in Towanda, Benton, and Eastborough as a patrol officer.
His last day will be April 10, after which he plans to return to Eastborough as a patrol officer.
Peabody police, especially Watts, have been the target of criticism recently for how he handled a dispute at the Hub, Peabody’s long-time youth center.
Mike Jury, Peabody’s new public works director, also spoke at the Monday’s meeting.
Jury started his new role March 24. He previously worked in Hutchinson’s public works department for 13 years.
He grew up on a farm south of Peabody and said he took the position in part to be closer to his parents. He is an army veteran and certified as a wastewater operator.
“I’m glad to be home,” he said.
Jury’s first order of business was to note that the lining on Peabody’s municipal pool, which was put in last year, has cracked away.
“We have holes in the pool, so we’re in the process of waiting for them to get up here and patch the cracks,” Jury said.
Weems said repairing the cracks would be a “top priority.”