Prayers, Cosmetics Get ‘Katie the Cop’ Fired

PORTLAND, Ore. — The police chief of a small Oregon town has been fired after being reprimanded for selling cosmetics from her cruiser and praying on behalf of a suspect she believed was possessed by the devil.

Gold Hill Police Chief Katie Holmboe, who had been on paid leave since July 28, was dismissed by a 5-0 vote of the town council, town recorder Anne Dumas said Wednesday.

Holmboe, known as “Katie the Cop,” was the only paid police officer in the southwest Oregon town of 1,000, although she supervised several volunteer officers.

A local newspaper reported that Holmboe was alleged to have required suspects to profess their faith in God before she would release them. Holmboe, who had worked for the city for 12 years, could not be reached for comment.