NEW HAVEN, Mo. — New Haven residents showed up Monday to their city board of aldermen meeting to share their concerns after the city’s police department was dissolved late last month.
The New Haven Police Chief John Hallquist was appointed at the beginning of the year and resigned 23 days after taking the job, citing numerous issues. He said he couldn’t be part of the department after learning things that were not disclosed before taking the job, one particular concern dealt with the proper handling of evidence.
After his resignation, they only had about three officers left, forcing the city to dissolve the police department altogether.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office took over signing a six-month contract to protect the town to the tune of more than $59,000 per month.
Chief Deputy T.J. Wild addressed the packed room of concerned residents to give them updates regarding some of the evidence issues, some of which have been solved.
“Once we got here, I got into the computer system, and through some digging and looking through some other papers, I learned that the item that we believed was missing wasn’t actually missing, it was returned to the owner,” Wild said.
There were some other matters Wild said he couldn’t discuss yet but assured residents they were working through it.
Residents are still concerned about safety but have noticed an increased presence of highway patrol and sheriff’s deputies.
“Of course, our utmost concern is the safety, safety of our children, safety in general because we know there is criminal activity in our town, but I also have to question with having such a small police force and no immediate attention, what does that do to the value of our property?” New Haven resident Joann McDaniel said.
City officials and aldermen did very little during the meeting to explain what’s going to happen in the coming months, but 5 On Your Side’s Laura Barczewski was able to speak with the mayor afterward, who said they will let the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office finish its investigation and audit, and then, they will decide what comes next.
Mayor Jason Addison said paying officers is the biggest challenge, and it takes up most of the city's budget.
“Herman is short-staffed, Rosebud, Gerald all of these places are short-staffed. I mean we may have to do something like the North County co-op and actually maybe see about doing a co-op. We’re not sure, but we’re asking the appropriate people in the sheriff's department trying to figure something out,” Addison said.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said it will continue to update the city and the public on its findings and will be serving as the main authority in New Haven until the six-month contract is up.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.