Montrose, IA – The Lee County Sheriff's Office will no longer oversee law enforcement activities in one community.
Montrose and Lee County agreed, two years ago, to have Sheriff Buck Jones oversee the city's police department. The agreement was needed after Montrose's only certified officer, former Police Chief Brent Shipman, took another job.
Mayor Greg Ruth says the Montrose City Council has ended the agreement because Police Chief Karl Judd has returned from the state police academy. Only a certified officer can oversee reserve officers.
Montrose considered eliminating the police department and utilizing the county for all law enforcement operations. That notion was dropped, about 18 months ago, when Judd was named police chief.
Judd had a time-line for completing some physical training and going through the academy. He is Montrose's only full-time officer.
Mayor Greg Ruth says there are two part-time officers. He says that allows the city to have around-the-clock law enforment.
Montrose had been paying the county 150-dollars a month as part of the agreement. The county has had similar agreements with West Point and Donnellson.
Mayor Greg Ruth says Judd did extremely well at the academy. Ruth says that is even more true after Judd was told he was the second oldest officer, at age 50, to complete the training.