Maintaining Safety In Kennedy Alabama

KENNEDY, Ala. (WCBI) – It’s an issue most towns hope to never face, losing the police department.

“As a mayor and council we have to do what we think is best for the town to keep the town rolling smoothly,”said Kennedy Mayor Jackie Mitchell.

Unfortunately, that meant letting go of the long standing police chief position.

The decision came after the town had to cut its budget.

Donna Trull is a local business owner.

“The older people are the only ones that are a little bit scared. They don’t like to go out after dark or anything, because they’re afraid that safety is not like it used to be” said Trull.

She says it’s been an adjustment, but she’s not worried, because Kennedy is a close knit community.

“We’ve always had a police officer and even though we don’t have one now, it’s still a very safe community. We love it here and everybody takes care of everybody,”said Trull.

Mitchell says though there’s no police department, the community is not left insecure.

“We spoke with our county Hal, also the state troopers and I’ve seen them around here recently myself. We’re blessed to have them to cover for us,”said Mitchell.

“It just stretches a little thin more than we already were, but we’re still there, and we’re still going to answer calls and make sure they get the service they need,”said Lamar County Sheriff Hal Allred.

Mitchell says the town plans to fully reinstate the position in the coming years.