Brandon to Discuss Doing Away with City Police Department
The thought of defunding or dissolving law enforcement agencies has been bantered back and forth in a number of communities around the country in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
That discussion has worked its way into a community here in the Sioux Empire, but in this case, it's for a very different reason.
Dakota News Now is reporting, the city of Brandon plans a discussion later today on the possibility of dissolving their city police department to see if it makes sense from a fiscal standpoint.
According to Dakota News Now, the (March 1) discussion is not the first time the Brandon City Council has entertained the idea of disbanding the Brandon Police Department.
Former Brandon Council Member Blaine Jones told Dakota News Now, "This is not the first time this has been discussed, but those involved understand why there is reason for debate."
There is opposition to the proposed move on the part of some Brandon City Council members. One such person is Vickie David, she told Dakota News Now, “This discussion sends the wrong message to our dedicated police officers, and the Brandon community."
Those against the idea point out the city of Brandon is already a very safe, and that didn't happen by accident.
Actually, backgroundchecks.org voted Brandon the safest city to live in South Dakota back in 2019.
Should the city of Brandon ever reach the point where they decide to do away with the city's police department, the current proposal includes handing over the duties of protecting the city and its residents to the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office.
Jones told Dakota News Now, “Nothing but good to say about the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, they are also an incredible group of people, that have nothing but a top-notch agency, however there are big differences between a municipal department and a sheriff’s department."
Source: Dakota News Now
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