Village of Frankfort Mayor Makes Difficult Decision to Shut Down Police Department

The Mayor of the Village of Frankfort has made a terribly difficult decision only a few months into his first term in office. In an open letter to the public Monday night, he announced his intention to being the process of shutting down the local police department.

Justin Smithson penned the letter to all residents in the village beginning by saying public safety has always been a top priority for him, but after many discussions with other village officials he has come to this extremely difficult decision. He also hopes to clear up what he calls "inaccuracies" made in two statements released by the Village of Frankfort PBA on their Facebook page. One of the statements was released by Village of Frankfort PBA President Joseph Perri. Perris writes,

For over 100 years, Frankfort Village Police Department has provided police services and protection to the residents and businesses of the Village of Frankfort. The village board wants to take away those police services and protection away from you, the residents and business owners, as well as commuters in the Village of Frankfort. Without a village police department, you will NOT have the following services:
• Dedicated patrols assigned to the village
• An increase in response time to calls for service and emergencies. The village police department currently responds and arrives to calls within minutes (most of the time, seconds)
• Dedicated foot patrols, business checks and community policing events
• 24 hour protection and coverage of the village.
Please attend the hearing and voice your support against disbanding the Frankfort Village Police Department on October 7, 2024 at 6:30 PM.

We urge ALL village residents and business owners to show their support for the Frankfort Village Police Department at the public hearing scheduled for October 7, 2024 at 6:30 PM.

Smithson says he and other village officials have done everything they can to come up with an alternative to this decision, but to no avail. In regards to the inaccuracies, he maintains that village residents will not be losing services. In Mayor Smithson's letter he writes, the Village Police is approximately 26% of the village's total budget. That is $567,669.70. That is not sustainable. As a result of this decision, the policing of the village will be taken over by the Town of Frankfort Police. Smithson says, "By law, the Town of Frankfort Police assume all policing responsibilities if there is no police presence in the Village."

You Can Read the Mayor's Full Letter Below

It's never an easy decision to close down a police department, but it seems the mayor is making a financial decision that will hopefully benefit the village moving forward in the long run.