LITTLE ROCK — Since 1982, Independence County sheriff ’s deputies have patrolled Batesville, serving as the town’s police force as part of an “inter local” agreement between the county and city.
But as Batesville nears 10,000 in population, city officials want more law enforcement protection and are discussing running their own police force again.
“We want to provide good protection for our city,” said Batesville Mayor Rick Elumbaugh. “Batesville is a growing city. We need more protection in the city limits.”
It’s the only city of its size in the state that uses county deputies to patrol its borders, said Chuck Lang, director of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association.
Counties generally provide protection for much smaller communities, he said. In addition to Batesville, Independence County provides deputies to patrol Newark in the eastern end of the county.
In January, Batesville City Council members will discuss creating a Batesville police force, Elumbaugh said. It’s in the preliminary stages now, he said.
Under an agreement withthe county, Batesville pays the sheriff’s office $1.2 million annually for 15 employees to work in the Metro Division, which includes four investigators, a traffic officer and a domestic-disturbance officer. The city provides 20 patrol cars for their officers and handles dispatching duties.
In return, the county places two of the officers on duty inside the city limits at all times.
The county has nine other deputies who patrol the county of 34,233 people, outgoing Sheriff Alan Cockrill said.
The idea has mostly worked the past 28 years. However, there are times when Metro Division officers are called to disturbances just outside Batesville in Southside and Ruddle Hill, leaving the city of 9,445 people without any police protection.
“It’s in our agreement, but it leaves the city unprotected,” Elumbaugh said.
The mayor said aldermen will look at the costs of running a police department. If it far surpasses the $1.2 million already allocated, they may not want to develop a new force.
“It’s not a cost-saving measure,” Elumbaugh said. “We’re not opposed to pulling out to get what we need if it’s not too much more.”
Under the interlocal agreement, the city must give the county a six-month notice that it no longer wants the county to provide officers.
Elumbaugh said he favors the move because it would give the city control of its officers. He wants to have at least four officers on patrol in Batesville at any given time.
“We don’t have a huge crime problem, but we need good police protection,” Elumbaugh said.
Cockrill agrees that two officers can’t properly patrol Batesville. But he’s reluctant to end the agreement.
He said the two officers who patrol Batesville provide those in the outlying communities better service.
“It would hurt those communities if we broke the agreement and kept those officers in town,” he said. “It gives us some extra manpower.
“I wish we could put more in the city, but we can’t,” the sheriff said. “If the city can prove that they can put four people out at the same time and not have to spend too much money, I think they’d do it.”
If the city does create its own police force, the new department would take in the 15 officers the city is now paying for, Cockrill said.
The county can’t hire any more deputies, so, he said, it would have to put warrants, criminal investigators and special-tactical officers on patrol to protect the county.
“Everybody would have to wear a uniform and hit the streets,” he said.
Cities should provide one officer for every 2,500 to3,000 people, Lang said.
“Three-quarters of law agencies in Arkansas are short-staffed,” he said. “They’ll have to get into the pros and cons if they continue discussing having their own police force. Will they have two jails? Two SWAT teams? It’s a hard row to hoe.”
Aldermen plan to discuss the idea further in January.
Cockrill won’t be the sheriff after today. He was appointed to the position earlier this year and was not eligible to seek re-election.
Steve Jeffery was elected sheriff during the Democratic primary in May and did not face opposition in the November general election. Jeffery has indicated he’ll appoint Cockrill as his chief deputy.
“It’s not a fun feeling not having enough [officers] out there in the county or the city,” Cockrill said. “Neither one of us can do any proactive law enforcement with too few people.”
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 12/31/2010