What We Know: Weeks after talks began, an online post states that the city of Clever will not pursue a contract with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement for the city of Clever. The sheriff’s office would have replaced the police as the city’s law enforcement.
The city had considered disbanding it’s own police force in favor of a a contract with the Christian County’s Sheriff’s Office to police the town, a move largely based on budgetary considerations. The current Clever Police Department has been in existence since June 2019.
What’s Next: City leaders in Clever have said that after reviewing all the options and hearing from the public, they have decided not to replace their police force. Instead, they will look to fully staff their police department, improve their retention and fully support the department.
A Facebook post from the Board of Aldermen reads in part: “Over the past several weeks the Mayor and Board of Aldermen have spent countless hours gathering information, discussing options, listening to residents and considering what is the best long-term interest of our city. One message we heard clearly throughout this process is that our community values an independent police department that is dedicated specifically to serving our city, understands our community, and remains directly accountable to the people who live here.”
(Photo courtesy of Springfield Daily Citizen)