It’s a tale of two cities… and one that has gone a bit sour for a group of community members who are looking to change the very way law enforcement is structured in the area. Lobbyist Kevin Barone, of the Capitol Lobby Group, has introduced a bill that would make the Riley County Police Director an elected position.
During Monday’s Law board meeting Barone laid out the position of the group. Barone says in part they are concerned with bringing forward issues with law enforcement due to the fear of retribution . Barone says having the position changed to an elective official would give more power to the community.
Law board member John Matta says there are many things wrong with the bill, and there are ample venues to address concerns from the public. Matta says his concerns with the bill extend to how it would actually be implemented with the special jurisdiction the department covers, and it is flawed from a purely technical perspective.
Several detectives from the department spoke to the board as well, and basically reiterated the “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” stance shared by the law board. The law board voted unanimously to denounce the bill. The board is scheduled to reconvene on Monday to go over final changes in the proposed 2015 budget.
