By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
Airport Drive will have its own police force starting July 1, under a contract being developed with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department.
Members of the village board approved plans for the contract last month, and a schedule and other details are to be worked out at a meeting June 26.
Board members had discussed a possible contract with department officials two years ago, then decided not to pursue it, according to Mark Rains, board chairman.
Speeding on residential streets has gotten to a point where the board decided it needed a police presence in the village, he said.
“We have a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit on our residential roads, and there’s a lot of speeding we haven’t been able to do anything about,” he said. “Also, we’ve got a lot of growth going on and we felt, as a board, it was time to try to slow the cars down, especially when there’s a lot of kids playing and people walking on the streets.”
Under the proposed contract, the Sheriff’s Department will assign a deputy to work 40 hours per week in the village, primarily to control speeding and oversee code enforcement.
The cost to the village will be $5,218 per month to cover the cost of the officer and related expenses, plus a vehicle to be provided by the sheriff’s office, according to Frances Haverly, village clerk.
Sheriff Archie Dunn said the arrangement will be a “break-even” proposition for the department.
“It’s something they wanted and something we can do for them,” he said. “We can’t enforce their laws without a contract. Any city citations we write will go to their court.”
Both Dunn and village officials said the main goal of the effort will be to slow motorists down, rather than to generate revenue.
“Their streets are so narrow; they’re afraid someone is going to get hurt,” Dunn said.
Dunn said there is a sheriff’s deputy who has expressed interest in the assignment, and noted the Sheriff’s Department already has a substation in Airport Drive where the officer can work.
Haverly said the village must post additional speed-limit signs, and get its own tickets printed. The village will provide office equipment to be used by the officer, so village and Sheriff’s Department records will be kept separate, she said.
The officer also will be able to follow up on code-enforcement complaints received at the village office, she said.
“Right now, when we get a complaint, we write a letter,” she said. “The process takes a long time.”
The initial contract is to last for 10 months, but can be extended on agreement of the sheriff and the village board, she said.
Population
Officials estimate the population of the village has grown from 622 residents in 2000 to approximately 660 residents today.
