Sutherland, Iowa — After being on the job full-time only since December, Sutherland’s lone police officer has resigned from the position. But the position probably won’t go unfilled nearly as long this time.
That’s from Sutherland Mayor Kay Gifford. She tells us about former Sutherland police officer Derek Nixon.
Gifford says there were no complaints from her or the council about how Nixon was doing the job. She tells us the council is well on its way to selecting someone new to fill the position.
She tells us why the process is going faster this time.
Gifford talks about the timeline for hiring a new officer.
According to Gifford, they are opening up the position to both candidates who have attended the police academy and those who have not, and those who have a criminal justice degree and those who do not, so the timing will depend on the successful candidate’s background.
Gifford says her own personal goal would be to have the offer presented and accepted by the June council meeting. The City of Sutherland does have a 28E agreement for police protection with the City of Paullina for joint police protection so that their officers can have a day off here and there. She says it works pretty well, but is on hiatus for now, until Sutherland can hire a new officer. She says she hopes it can be reinstated when everything gets back to normal.
