BEVERLY — The Town of Beverly’s police department has been disbanded, a city official confirmed Wednesday.

A Beverly Town Council member, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Inter-Mountain Wednesday that Council voted 5-0 during a special meeting on Aug. 26 to dissolve the BPD and lay off the town’s two active police officers.

“It all came down to lack of funding. It wasn’t making any money like they thought it was going to,” the council member told The Inter-Mountain. “It got to the point it was hurting the town, and before it got any worse, we decided to shut it down before anything drastic happened.”

The Inter-Mountain left messages for Beverly Mayor Andy Burns and Beverly Police Chief Allen Vanscoy on Tuesday and Wednesday seeking comment for this article. The calls were not returned. 

“The entire council agreed on canceling the police department,” the council member said. “It was a unanimous decision and we all agreed it was in the best interest of the town.”

After decades of not having a police officer in Beverly, the town hired Allen Vanscoy as the new police chief in January 2021.

Vanscoy, a part-time employee, and a full-time police officer, Preston Marsh, were both laid off after the Aug. 26 decision, the council member said.

“Some time down the road, we may look at bringing the police department back,” the council member told The Inter-Mountain. “To be honest, though, if it doesn’t do any better than it has, I don’t see it working out in the future. We have to do what is in the best interest of the town when it comes to everything, and the town council felt this move was in the best interest of the town of Beverly.”

Beverly Town Council meets the second Monday of every month at the Town Hall in the Council Chambers. Meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, call 304-636-5350 or visit www.townofbeverly.com.