A resolution that would have resurrected the city police department was shot down by the Clarendon Board of Aldermen during their regular meeting last Tuesday.
Clarendon shut down its police department in 1984 and began contracting with the Donley County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement service, but issues have come up about enforcement of city ordinances. Code enforcement was taken out of the current contract last fall.
Mayor Chris Ford told the board Tuesday that he had consulted with the Texas Municipal League and the city attorney with about the issue.
“If you want a city code enforcement officer to issue citations, you have to have a police department,” Ford said. “If you don’t want to do that, you can just have a code enforcement ‘official’ who files complaints with municipal court.”
City Administrator John Webb spoke in favor of reviving the police department’s state certification. He said the city could not afford a police department but having a certified peace officer would be helpful in issuing citations and serving warrants from municipal court.
“You have the luxury of having a certified Texas peace officer already in City Hall,” Webb said, referring to himself.
But Alderman Larry Hicks objected to that notion.
“I don’t want (a certified peace officer). I want a city manager,” Hicks said. “I’ve been very pleased with him as a city manager, and I wish he would quit trying to be a cop.”
Webb responded the city has 50 warrants which had not been served and recertifying the police department could help that, noting again that he was wanting a full time police force because, “We don’t have the revenue to start a police department.”
Hicks said he believed the resolution would be divisive.
“If we agree to this it will just drive a bigger wedge between us and the sheriff,” he said. “We should be trying to work with them.”
Alderman Will Thompson agreed that the city should focus on the warrants issue.
“Should we try to work to solve the problem?” Thompson asked. “I have not found that (the sheriff) would not work with us. We’re just not communicating.”
The board voted to turn down the resolution, 4-1, with Aldermen Hicks, Thompson, Kyle Davis, and Tommy Hill voting in the majority, and Alderman Ann Huey in the minority.
The Donley County Sheriff’s Office this week said it has a total of 46 municipal warrants on 25 individuals. About half of those are residing outside the county, and of those inside the county, nine live in Clarendon. Most of the cases are hot checks.
“When we have room and time, we do work warrants,” Sheriff Butch Blackburn said. “But felonies will always take priority over municipal Class C misdemeanors. We’ve been busy with child molesters, rape, and burglary.”
In other city business last week, Aldermen: Unanimously rejected an application for a livestock permit at 514 E. Browning; Approved the Fiscal Year 2009 Audit of the City and the Economic Development Corporation; and Appointed Bunny Owens and Bobbie Floyd as the judge and alternate judge for the upcoming city election.
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