The size of the Itta Bena Police Department has increased to three officers, marking one of the many steps in Mayor Reginald Freeman’s mission to rebuild the police force.
The Board of Aldermen unanimously approved Tuesday the hiring of Aaron Agee as a full-time officer and Elijah Brooks as a part-time officer. They will work alongside Chief James Stonewall to patrol Itta Bena.
Agee, who was present at the board meeting, will work as an investigator and also assist with street patrols when needed.
“I’m excited to be part of this town. I want to help Chief Stonewall to better his department and get some guys here that can help him out,” Agee told the board. “Anything that goes on here — homicides, traffic investigations, things of that nature — I’ll be on call. I’ll be (working) hand in hand with the chief. There’s a lot that needs to be done.”
This includes purchasing investigative equipment and hiring more officers — and the latter has been difficult, Agee said.
“It’s hard to get guys to come here because it’s kind of off a bit in distance. I’ve been reaching out to a whole lot of officers, but some of them don’t want to drive the distance,” he said. “So it’s good to look inside the town to find someone young who wants to be in law enforcement.”
Agee, 32, is originally from Holmes County and has worked in law enforcement for almost a decade. “I’m a young man but mature,” he said. “You can trust me.”
Agee currently works as an officer for the Drew, Mound Bayou and Sunflower police departments, but he plans to drop those jobs and work full time for Itta Bena, he said.
He and Brooks are expected to officially join the department later this month once they have completed their paperwork, Freeman said.
The mayor said Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks and Undersheriff Ken Spencer had told him about a week ago that the county was “no longer able to house a deputy over here in Itta Bena like they have in the past because they’re running short themselves. They’re about eight to nine officers short.”
Deputies will still be deployed to Itta Bena when needed and patrol the city when time allows, Freeman said.
Freeman, who was elected last summer, has made revamping the Police Department a priority.
The department was effectively shuttered in July 2014 when the Board of Aldermen, as a cost-saving measure, struck a deal with the county to have the Sheriff’s Department take over policing in the city. At that time, about six patrol officers and six dispatchers worked for the Police Department.
Deputies addressed major crimes, and the city’s police chief addressed violations of municipal ordinances.
Before the Sheriff’s Department pulled out, one or two deputies patrolled the city for 12 hours during the day shift, and two deputies patrolled the city for 12 hours during the night shift, Freeman said.
The city has been paying the county $10,000 a month for protection, the mayor said.
Freeman plans to appear at next Monday’s meeting of the Leflore County Board of Supervisors to ask whether the city’s payment can be reduced to $4,000 to $5,000 a month. The money saved would then go toward paying Itta Bena’s officers, he said.
Last year, the city’s board approved the hiring of Stonewall as chief as well as the purchase of two patrol vehicles from the Sheriff’s Department, increasing the number of police vehicles to four.
Ideally, a fully staffed Itta Bena Police Department would consist of about four full-time officers and four part-time ones, Freeman said.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
