Decker’s Partner Resigns from Cold Spring Police Department

COLD SPRING - The officer who was with Cold Spring Police Officer Tom Decker on the night he was shot and killed has resigned.

Thirty-nine year old Greg Reiter handed in a brief resignation letter to the Cold Spring City Council on January 10th.  Police Chief Phil Jones says a reason for his resignation was not given.

Jones says people jumped to conclusions without the facts, and that didn't contribute to a healthy environment for Reiter.

Reiter had been on paid leave since the shooting.

Jones called Reiter a great officer with no disciplinary record.

Reiter's actions on the night of November 29th when Decker was killed have come under scrutiny, when investigators say be backed his car away from the scene and lost contact with the suspect.

Cold Spring Mayor Doug Schmitz says Reiter was part of their pool of part-time officers that filled-in when full-time officers had time off.  Schmitz says they recently moved two other part-time officers into full-time positions, so they'll be looking to replenish their part-time pool, which usually includes 5-7 officers.

So far the gun used to kill officer Decker has been recovered, and a man who had been questioned several times has been found dead.  Thirty-one year old Eric Thomes was found dead in an out building near his rural Cold Spring home after a police standoff.  Investigators have not though declared Thomes the killer, or closed the case.