Peabody again loses full-time police
Staff writer
Peabody’s two full-time police officers have resigned, leaving the city without a full-time police force.
Police Chief Matthew Neal resigned March 4, about two weeks after officer Jessica LaValley left the department, accoirding to Peabody City Administrator Paul Leeker. LaValley’s resignation was reported Feb. 19.
The department had consisted of two full-time officers and one part-time officer, Charles Walker.
Walker had not submitted a resignation as of this reporting.
The departures continue a cycle of turnover that repeatedly has left Peabody struggling to maintain a police force. The pattern has raised questions in the community about why the city has had difficulty retaining law-enforcement leadership.
“I will confirm that both full-time police officers, Matthew Neal and Jessica LaValleyz, resigned,” Leeker said. “I do not know the reason Jessica resigned, and the chief’s resignation letter gave no reason,” he said.
Until the city rebuilds its department, the Marion County sheriff’s office will respond to calls in Peabody.
“I have full trust in the Marion County sheriff’s office,” Leeker said.
Neal confirmed his resignation but declined to discuss details surrounding his departure.
“It was a tough decision,” he said. “Peabody is a terrific town. I just made the decision I needed to make for me and my family.”
Neal is the fourth police chief to leave the city’s employment in recent years.
Before Neal, Philip Crom resigned as chief during a city council meeting in 2025. He cited stress and slander from members of the community.
Crom was hired after Travis Wilson resigned May 28, 2024, following disputes with city leaders about the direction of the department.
Wilson himself had been hired in March, 2023, after the city spent months without police officers. That vacancy followed a wave of resignations in September, 2022, when longtime police chief Bruce Burke announced his retirement after more than two decades with the department.
At the same time, two officers resigned. Mayor Tom Spencer also stepped down after controversy erupted over remarks during a council meeting in which he said he wanted “druggies out of the city — legally or illegally.”
Those departures left the police department nearly empty and forced the city to rebuild its law enforcement staff.
Since then, Peabody has repeatedly rebuilt its police department only to see leadership and officers leave again.
Neal’s resignation comes after tensions surfaced earlier this year between city administration and the police department.
Disagreements between city officials and the police department had escalated publicly in recent months, including disputes involving police operations and city leadership.
When asked whether those conflicts played a role in the resignations, Leeker declined to comment.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” he said.
Leeker also declined to discuss earlier departures involving city employees, at least one of whom resigned after allegations about his background surfaced.
“I’m not going to comment on matters that happened before I was hired as city administrator,” Leeker said.
The city is in the early stages of rebuilding a department that currently has no full-time officers.