April 17, 2024 |
Photo – Town of Hanna – Bigfoot99 file photo
Hanna and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office are in talks to increase the amount of time deputies spend patrolling the town.
During yesterday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Alex Bakken said he and the Hanna town council talked about increasing the hours his deputies spend in the former coal town. Sheriff Bakken said the increased patrol time comes with increased costs.
The town of Hanna has been without a dedicated in-town law enforcement officer since former Marshal Ted Kranenburg joined the Sheriff’s Department in March of 2023. Last August, the town council voted to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. The MOU stipulates that sheriff’s deputies must spend at least 60 hours a month patrolling Hanna. In exchange, the town has agreed to pay roughly $60,000 a year to the county. According to the Hanna town council, sheriff’s deputies spent 78 hours patrolling the town in March at no additional charge.
Returning to yesterday’s commissioner’s meeting, Sheriff Bakken said running a law enforcement agency is not cheap. The sheriff said it is more cost effective for Hanna to contract with his department than to staff its own marshal’s office.
Riverside also has an MOU with the sheriff’s office. The southern Carbon County town has agreed to pay $11,000 a year to have deputies patrol the town for four hours a week.
The town of Medicine Bow is considering entering into an agreement with the sheriff. Since closing its marshal’s office earlier this year, the town has had to rely on sheriff’s deputies to enforce state laws along Highways 30 and 487. The Medicine Bow town council has discussed contracting with the sheriff for in-town patrols, but a decision has not been made.
At yesterday’s commissioner’s meeting, Sheriff Bakken thanked the Hanna council for acknowledging that the town needs a police presence.
Hanna residents have reported an increase in trespassing and theft in town. During the April 9th Hanna town council meeting, Mayor Jon Ostling said he encountered a suspicious person parked outside of the local storage facility. Mayor Ostling told residents to call 911 if they see anything questionable.
Sheriff Bakken said the Hanna town council will decide about the increased patrol hours during June budget talks.
