When they met Tuesday, Leavenworth County commissioners reviewed a proposal for the Sheriff’s Office to take over law enforcement services for Basehor, an idea that previously was rejected by the Basehor City Council.
The Basehor City Council voted unanimously to reject the idea during a May 7 special meeting. The vote came after a written proposal prepared by Sheriff Andy Dedeke appeared on an agenda for the Leavenworth County Commission.
Despite the earlier rejection, Commission Chairman Louis Klemp said Tuesday that there is a proper procedure to follow. He argued that the Basehor City Council rejected the idea without reviewing it during a meeting.
“I just thought it was an outstanding presentation,” Klemp said of the written proposal.
Dedeke questioned why the matter was being brought up again.
“I think the city of Basehor has made their wishes known,” he said. “I respect that.” Lloyd Martley, former Basehor city administrator and police chief, said the “proposal should be removed from the agenda and trashed as it should have been in the beginning.”
Martley addressed commissioners during a public comment period at the beginning of the meeting.
He argued that public safety is an important factor in a city’s growth. He said if criminals found out that the Basehor Police Department was shut down, there would be a windstorm of additional criminal activity in the city.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)