MOUNTAIN PINE, Ark. (AP) - Mountain Pine City Council has dissolved its one-man police force with the intention of contracting patrol coverage from the Garland County Sheriff’s Department.
The Sentinel-Record (https://bit.ly/2jysBec ) reports the council disbanded the police department Monday. Mountain Pine Mayor Rick Petty Sr. said Tuesday the decision could not be avoided after Police Chief Chad King was shot three times responding to a criminal trespass call January 2016. King, who is also a commissioned sheriff’s deputy, is alive but not cleared to return to work.
Because Mountain Pine is classified as a second-class city due to its population of fewer than 800 people, City Attorney Brian Albright says the city isn’t required to have a police force. Albright says the city is planning to negotiate an interlocal agreement with the county to hire a sheriff’s deputy.
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Information from: The Sentinel-Record, https://www.hotsr.com
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