By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Carrollton City Council voted August 3 to dissolve the Carrollton Police Department, citing insufficient resources for recruitment and retention of qualified officers; the department will officially close August 9.
- The city of approximately 3,500 residents will contract with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement coverage, with a service agreement requiring at least one deputy in the city at all times.
- Deputies will be compensated at $42 per hour to patrol Carrollton; the city will provide equipment and a patrol vehicle for county personnel assigned to the community.
- The department dissolution follows months of severely depleted staffing, with the police force reduced to a single officer at one point.
- Carrollton joins other small municipalities across the United States that have ceased independent police operations in favor of county law enforcement contracting.
CARROLLTON, MO. — The Carrollton City Council voted August 3 to disband its municipal police department and establish a law enforcement coverage contract with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office beginning August 9.
Carrollton City Councilman Jim Bowen cited recruitment limitations during the council vote. Bowen stated that the city lacked sufficient resources to attract and retain qualified officers. Bowen characterized the dissolution as a solution to longstanding staffing and operational challenges. “We just don’t have the resources to get good officers,” Bowen stated. “We haven’t had a really good police force for many, many years. And this is an answer to that problem.”
The service agreement with Carroll County obligates the sheriff’s office to maintain at least one deputy in Carrollton at all times. Carrollton will compensate deputies at $42 per hour for patrol coverage in the city. The city will provide police equipment and a patrol vehicle for use by county law enforcement personnel.
The Carrollton Police Department’s closure follows an extended period during which the department operated at severely reduced staffing levels. The police force was reduced to a single officer for multiple months preceding the council dissolution vote.
The decision reflects broader challenges across United States law enforcement, particularly in smaller municipalities. Multiple cities nationwide have ceased maintaining independent police departments in recent years, opting instead to contract law enforcement services with county sheriff’s offices or regional agencies.
Carrollton residents will continue to receive police service coverage through the county’s law enforcement infrastructure beginning August 9.