BICKNELL, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Knox County and Bicknell officials discuss the impact of an interlocal agreement that changed the way the city is patrolled.
An agreement between the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Bicknell which calls for sheriff’s deputies to patrol the city is a first under the leadership of Sheriff Doug Vantlin.
“I’ve been on the department 29 years and we have not had anything like this. This is the first time, for the lack of a better word, we’ve taken over a city or stepped in,” Vantlin said.
Vantlin says over the past few months his department has hired four new deputies to help patrol Bicknell, with one deputy always stationed in the city during the night time hours.
“Bicknell does have a police officer, they retained one officer up there. During those hours, he’s the one answering calls in Bicknell, not the sheriff’s department. When he goes 10-42 or he ends his tour of duty then we take over up there,” Vantlin said.
During an August meeting, some in the Bicknell community spoke against the agreement due to concerns that crime could increase without a fully staffed department in the city.
So far, Vantlin says that hasn’t been the case.
“It’s been pretty good and of course this is the winter months right now, so the activity is down some,” Vantlin said.
Lori Keen, the owner of Bicknell Floral and Design, says she originally had concerns about the agreement but some of those have since been eased.
She also hopes her community can eventually staff its police department again.
“When we found out we would have coverage from the sheriff’s department we were a little bit at ease, but when you’ve lived in a small town your whole life, you feel really bad about losing your friends, and your family, and co-workers that took care of this area,” Keen said.
So what would it take for Bicknell to ever operate a complete police department again?
“I think the key to that is for the city to be in a position long-term to be able to offer competitive pay and benefits, for that to be something that could happen,” said Mayor Thomas Estabrook, City of Bicknell.
Estabrook also says the City of Bicknell has saved money since the agreement with Knox County.
He says the city has saved $20,000 from insurance alone.
