Community members propose combining Kimball Police Department with sheriff’s office

KIMBALL -- City Council Member Austin Garner spoke during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting to propose the idea of combining the police department and sheriff’s office. 

Garner met with Sheriff Milo Cardenas in Bridgeport to learn about the advantages and challenges associated with combining a municipal police department with a county sheriff’s office. 

“Sheriff Cardinas provided valuable insight into their experience, including potential fiscal savings and the process their community followed when transitioning to this structure,” he said. 

Garner added that Cardenas has offered to visit Kimball to share his experience in the matter and answer any questions the city and county officials and public may have. 

“I want to emphasize that there are currently no discussions or plans underway for Kimball to transition to this model; however, I believe it could be beneficial for city officials and county commissioners to hold a joint meeting to discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages and gain a better understand of how this model operates in other communities,” Garner said. 

Ron Buchart echoed his support for Garner’s proposal. 

“I think it would be a great thing to investigate and think of the possibility of rolling the police department in with the sheriff’s department,” Buchart said. “I think that could be a very strong possibility to see tax dollars being saved.”