By Phyllis Zorn

Staff reporter

The Peabody police department has two full-time officers with the Monday arrival of Medina Sulejmani.

A Newton resident, Sulejmani spent a year as an officer with the Wichita police department.

According to Peabody police chief Travis Wilson, she comes to the department as a fully certified law enforcement officer.

Wilson still is looking to hire one more full-time officer and as many part-time officers as he can find.

The Peabody department lost all its officers soon after former police chief Bruce Burke retired in September.

He decided to retire after then-mayor Tom Spencer said that he wanted “druggies out of the city — legally or illegally.”

After Burke submitted his intent to retire, two other officers, including Wilson’s brother, Josh, resigned. That left the city with one full-time officer, who later quit to go to the El Dorado police department.

A part-time officer was fired after he was arrested for allegedly drinking on duty.

Spencer subsequently resigned as mayor.