Bollinger County sheriff explains protection after all Marble Hill Police officers submit resignations

MARBLE HILL, Mo. (KBSI) – All the members of the Marble Hill Police Department submitted their resignations to the Marble Hill City Council.

The Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office was informed by officials with the city of Marble Hill on August 19 that all members of the Marble Hill Police Department submitted their resignations to the Marble Hill City Council.

According to the information provided, those resignations will be effective as of Friday, August 23.

The Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office is in communication with city of Marble Hill officials to address the situation.

As of Monday, Bollinger County Sheriff Casey Graham says he was contacted by city officials.

“When the city is full-staffed, they have six full-time positions and one part-time, but now with these resignations the city will no longer have any police officers as of Friday,” said Sheriff Graham.

Sheriff Graham says now his office will step up and serve all the citizens in Bollinger County.

He says as far as an official statement from the city on why this happened, they have not given him any indication.

“I haven’t been provided with a reason from city officials,” said Sheriff Graham. “I know that the chief of police has put out a press release that stated that its was due to budget constraints and that it would not properly allow her and her staff to provide services to the residents of Marble Hill.”

FOX23 News is told the mayor of Marble Hill is dealing with medical issues, but still hosted a meeting on Monday night explaining to citizens what is happening and ensuring there are enough sheriff’s deputies to keep the community safe.

Richard Whiffen, Marble Hill’s attorney, says he believes the public handled the meeting well and seemed to understand.

“I thought it was a lot to do. It was on Monday, Monday night, but considering all the things they had going on I thought it went very well,” said Whiffen.

Whiffen says there are more than enough resources to keep the city safe and people should not be concerned.

“So they’re available, the highway patrol is available. The sheriff has a number of resources from other counties that he can call on,” said Whiffen.

Sheriff Graham says they are in negotiations with the city of Marble Hill to provide more of an income for a full police service.

“We understand the concerns that may arise within the community and want to assure all residents that the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office is committed to finding a viable solution,” said Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham in a post on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.  “The Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office is confident that we can negotiate a resolution to ensure that law enforcement services will continue to be provided to the City of Marble Hill by our agency without interruption or interference in the daily operations already maintained.”

The Marble Hill Police Department is now taking applications.