A Lakes Area City is beginning the process of re-staffing their Police Force after all of the officers resigned last month.
Kimberling City Mayor Bob Fritz tells Ozarks First that he has scrubbed through the seventy-four total applicants for police chief and is now down to six. Mayor Fritz said they will be starting the interview process this week to fill the position.
“Sheriff Rader says we’re very lucky,” said Mayor Fritz. “These are guys are fantastic, very qualified to be our police chief.”
The Kimberling City mayor and other leaders including Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader have formed a committee to hire the next police chief before starting to hire new officers.
“I feel it’s very important for this police chief knows what he needs,” said Mayor Fritz. “What he wants to be on his team, so I think that’s important too. And what we’ll probably do is just give him the candidates who applied for officer’s jobs and see what he decides.”
Until the positions are filled, policing duties in the area are the responsibility of the Stone County Sheriff’s Office that has a contract with the city. Branson West Police Department may also be used as a backup because of their close proximity.
For more information on the story, go to the feature on the Ozarks First Website.
(Story by Jacob Blount and Emilee Kuschul, Ozarks First)
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