One other possibility. The article says that “Rich Medley . . . said the town’s officers had several run-ins with members of Byrd’s family.”
Possibly she has a few troublesome youts in her family, who have had run-ins with the law? Pure speculation. But it’s unusual for the media to even hint at such a possibility.
As for those questioned who say they never saw the police doing their jobs, . . . whose side are they on?
I’d say we need more first-hand information. But we’re not going to get it from the media, that’s for sure.
Or, of course, maybe the opposite. Maybe the former mayor and the police were corrupt, and that’s why they had “run-ins.”