Residents spoke. Hopefully, the council listened

Ask anyone in Montgomery what the talk on the streets is and they’ll tell you, “Police Department”
If you haven’t been following the news, Montgomery’s Police Department is in a state of flux. Recently, the city fired its police chief, rescinded its decision, and allowed the chief to formally resign. That left a supervisory hole in the department that is required by law. With no time to spare, the city hired the county’s sheriff’s department for three months to supervise our police department. 
Now that you’re up to speed, up to this point, the city believes it has two choices on how to proceed. They can hire a new chief, or get rid of our department and use the county - all of which cost us, taxpayers, money. The council has held a couple of meetings at which few comments were allowed. On Monday, residents packed the city hall for an open forum and stated their support of the local police department. Residents asked a lot of questions. The council responded to some but refrained from others until they had more information. 
I hope city council members heard what the public had to say and will take the time to make a smart decision. Until then, I think the residents deserve answers to some important questions. Specifically, why do we need to go with the county for law enforcement? Are our current officers not trained properly? Are they not doing a sufficient job? Why not just hire a new chief?
What are the advantages of going with the county? Are they better trained? Will they use more efficient systems?
What is the cost comparison between the two? Will we save money if we go with the county? Sheriff Brett Mason said he will provide some financial details at the council’s next meeting on Tuesday, May 30 so the council can begin to compare apples to apples before making a decision.
If we go with the county and have 24/7 coverage as promised, will we have the same officers patrolling our streets so we (taxpayers and citizens) will be able to get to know them, and they’ll get to know us? This was important to a lot of people at the meeting.
If the council chooses the county option, and the county has to hire seven more officers like Sheriff Mason said, how will that increase sheriff’s budget, and ultimately our taxes?
Another question that Pam Edel asked at the meeting was, why the rush to make a decision? The three-month contract for CLEO (Chief Law Enforcement Officer) services is up July 11. However, the council can choose to extend it a couple of months to buy the council more time to examine all of the possibilities and to find a new chief if it chooses that route. 
I hope the council chooses that option. 
One thing is certain: If the council chooses not to extend the contract and rush the vote on June 19 without knowing and communicating the financial and practical information, they are not serving the citizens who voted them into office. From what Mayor John Grimm said at the meeting, that date is not set in stone and could change. I hope it does. 
This issue is deeply personal for many people as reflected in the emotional comments at Monday’s meeting. I hope the council looks at all of the options, takes the time to pour over all of the details and resident concerns, and communicates its recommendation to the public before voting. 

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