Concern about an employee’s work hours is a management problem. There are established ways to address it: documented conversations, formal audits, or a request for a council review. Milner Mayor Craig Timmons chose a GPS tracker instead. Timmons acknowledged placing the device on Police Chief Lamar Bunn’s vehicle, according to WSB-TV, which reported his confirmation. He also arranged for a surveillance camera pointed toward City Hall, according to local reporting, though the camera’s full authorization and purpose remain less firmly documented.
His stated justification was concern about Bunn’s timesheets, which required the mayor’s signature.
Personal Funds, No Council Vote, No Transparency
Timmons paid for the tracker himself and did not bring the matter to the city council before acting, according to accounts presented during council discussions.
Milner sits in Lamar County, Georgia, with a population of roughly 772 people. Timmons paid for the tracker with personal funds and bypassed the council, according to those same accounts.
He initially declined to comment when asked about the device during a council meeting, then confirmed the placement to WSB-TV.
Chief, Officers, City Manager: All Gone by October 28
Bunn said he had done nothing wrong, and a resignation letter pointed to concerns about leadership and judgment that extended well beyond one device.
Bunn said he had done nothing wrong and consulted an outside agency about whether the tracking violated the law or his rights. No criminal charge or definitive legal finding has been established in the available reporting. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation inquiry was mentioned in local reporting; its status and scope remain unclear.
Chief Bunn, all five full-time officers, and most reserve personnel resigned, with departures effective October 28, 2026. City Manager Tausha Grose also resigned shortly after.
A resignation letter obtained by WSB-TV cited concerns about the “judgment and decision-making” of the mayor and certain council members regarding the police department. Bunn said he did not ask the officers to leave.
772 Residents, No Full-Time Officers After October 28
The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office was reported to be providing coverage, though the operational details of that arrangement were not officially confirmed in available reporting.
The departures left Milner without its full-time police force as of October 28. The available reporting indicates county coverage was expected to fill the gap, but the details of that arrangement remain unconfirmed by an official announcement.
Small Towns Have Oversight Tools. Timmons Didn’t Use Them.
The governance failure here is straightforward to diagnose, even if the consequences for residents have already arrived.
Municipal governments have recognized mechanisms for addressing personnel concerns: documented performance reviews, timesheet audits initiated through proper administrative channels, or a council-authorized inquiry. Those processes exist to protect employees from abuse and to protect elected officials from exactly the outcome Timmons is now facing.
Timmons bought a tracker with personal funds, installed it without council knowledge, and aimed a camera at City Hall. He acted outside the institutional channels that exist precisely to make oversight accountable and transparent.
The result is not merely an HR dispute. A town of 772 people lost its entire full-time police force, and the accounts of those who left cite broader concerns about leadership, judgment, and trust in addition to the tracker itself. Resignation letters pointed to a failure of governance, not just a single questionable decision.
The tracker did not create that failure. It made it visible.
