January 26, 2024 |
Photo – CCSO logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
Riverside officials will contract with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office to have deputies patrol the town.
At the January 17th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Alex Bakken said his department is preparing to enter into an agreement with the town of Riverside. Sheriff Bakken said the memorandum of understanding, or MOU, requires Riverside to pay $11,000 a year to have deputies patrol the town for several hours a week. The sheriff said he’s waiting for County Attorney Ashley Davis to approve the contract.
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office has a similar agreement with the town of Hanna. Former Hanna Marshal Ted Kranenburg left the town last March to join the sheriff’s department. Since that time, Hanna has been without a dedicated law enforcement officer.
The Hanna town council signed an MOU with the sheriff’s office in August of 2023.
The agreement requires a deputy to patrol the town for at least 60 hours a month in exchange for $60,000 a year. The MOU can be ended with a month’s notice if a new marshal is found to take over law enforcement duties within the town.
Sheriff Bakken said deputies often exceed the 60-hour requirement with no added cost to the town. In December, the sheriff told county commissioners that his officers spent 83 hours in Hanna.
The MOU between the town of Riverside and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office is fashioned after the Hanna agreement. At the December 14th Riverside town council meeting, Sheriff Bakken said the town will be charged the same $83 an hour to have a deputy patrol the area.
Riverside Mayor Leroy Stephenson said he approved of the MOU. The agreement is now in the hands of the Carbon County Attorney’s Office.
