“This is why we started these discussions six months early – so we could have more discussions,” Morristown City Administrator Ellen Judd said as further debate began about cutting hours of law enforcement patrols in the city.
The topic was on the agenda at the city council’s July 7 regular meeting. It was first discussed at their May meeting, then again in June.
The sheriff’s office is currently contracted to patrol Morristown for 40 hours per week. Mayor Tim Flaten had expressed displeasure with the quality of patrols in Morristown compared to how it was in years past.
“I will say that, a few years ago, they found plenty to do for 40 hours,” Flaten said. “The time they spent with the kids alone. They used to play with the kids at school, hunt down the kids in helmets and give them ice cream. It was a totally different atmosphere than what we have today.”
At their initial meeting with county officials about reducing patrol hours in May, Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas said he would run...
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