Six months after reaching a protection agreement with the McDonough County Sheriff’s Office, Colchester is seeing more officers filling part-time police positions. The agreement, which stations a sheriff’s deputy in Colchester from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days per week for three years, has been successful in bolstering the local police force. Since the agreement was made in June, Mayor Eric Haines announced that they have hired a total of seven officers and a chief.
According to Haines, the goal of the agreement is to make citizens feel safer, and it appears to be working. McDonough County Sheriff’s Deputy Andy Jackson assumed the role of chief in August and is on-call at all times throughout the week, with regular office hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and occasionally on Saturdays.
In a recent development, the Colchester City Council approved the recruitment of four more officers, with one already officially hired. This move comes after a period where there was a shortage of officers patrolling the town during nighttime hours before the agreement was in place.
Haines expressed satisfaction with the current agreement, noting its importance given the presence of a school in town. Before hiring Jackson as chief, Haines served as interim police chief. Applications for CPD can be picked up at city hall at 500 E. Roberts Street in Colchester.
In the context of the historic background of this topic, Colchester has faced challenges in maintaining sufficient police presence, leading to the agreement with the sheriff’s office. The recent recruitment efforts highlight a positive step towards addressing these challenges and ensuring the safety of the community.
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