Progress continues as the Americus City Council gets ready to end the city’s police department operations.
Mayor Dustin Wright tells KVOE News the inventory process is complete, thanks to the work of former police chief Jody Meyers. Evidence processing is next, and Wright says the goal is to have that work done by the next City Council meeting in May. Once the evidence processing is handled, Wright says the final steps towards disbanding the police department are an inventory and equipment sale and an evidence transfer to the Lyon County Attorney’s Office. Wright believes the process could be done within the next 60-90 days.
Proceeds from the inventory sale will likely go to the general fund, likely for code enforcement, but that plan is officially pending.
Local law enforcement coverage has been a concern for years in Americus, and the department was down to a part-time chief at one point. Wright says the wind-down process has gone about as well as could be expected. With a stated plan of transferring law enforcement coverage to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office this year, Wright believes there has been more deputy presence in the town since City Council members voted to shut down the police department in February, even though there are no special arrangements for additional coverage.
