No official date was mentioned and there are still some things to finalize, but the main decision has been made.
The Americus City Council voted 4-0 to discontinue the town’s police department Tuesday. Mirroring a conversation KVOE News had with City Council President Nicky Nuessen last week, City Council member Bill Harmon says the board did all it could — but it had to make a tough choice.
Concerns have been developing for over five years, but the last few months have seen all but one officer resign for unlisted reasons. Americus has been having increasing difficulty meeting state and federal guidelines for law enforcement agencies over the last year.
Harmon made the motion to dissolve, with the plan to have the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office take over patrol instead of assisting the local police force. He believes deputies will do a good job in handling law enforcement.
Nuessen has told KVOE News there is no official agreement between Americus and the Sheriff’s Office, but she has also said there is no need for a signed agreement because deputies already serve the Americus area as funded through Lyon County tax dollars.
Before the police department is dissolved, City Council members noted several items of business that need to be addressed, specifically an equipment sale — including the department’s only cruiser — as well as code enforcement and handoffs of records and evidence. Those matters, along with others not mentioned Tuesday, may well be addressed at the March City Council meeting.
Once the Sheriff’s Office officially begins its new role, Americus residents can call 9-1-1 for emergencies or 620-341-3205 for non-emergency calls.
Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including a report from Tuesday’s meeting.
