November 23, 2016
New Town Police Department is moving
By Jerry W. Kram
New Town Police Chief James Johns is wielding a sledgehammer as often as a badge these days.
The Police Department received permission from the New Town City Council to move from its current manufactured building to the old vocational education building on Main Street. The council plans for the department to eventually move into the city hall offices currently occupied by the Three Affiliated Tribes Law Enforcement. TAT Law Enforcement will be moving the new justice center when it is completed next fall.
Johns requested additional funds for the makeover, but the City Council told him to stick to a $5,000 budget.
“Myself, the clerk of court and some of my officers have started to tearing pieces out at a time,” Johns said. “We are trying to get to the point where I can go to the carpenters and ask, ‘How do you frame a door?’ and the like. Plus we have to make sure it is up to code. I am not an electrician so I have to rely the electrician to tell me if we can do this. We are trying to cut costs as best we can.”
The Police Department received permission from the New Town City Council to move from its current manufactured building to the old vocational education building on Main Street. The council plans for the department to eventually move into the city hall offices currently occupied by the Three Affiliated Tribes Law Enforcement. TAT Law Enforcement will be moving the new justice center when it is completed next fall.
Johns requested additional funds for the makeover, but the City Council told him to stick to a $5,000 budget.
“Myself, the clerk of court and some of my officers have started to tearing pieces out at a time,” Johns said. “We are trying to get to the point where I can go to the carpenters and ask, ‘How do you frame a door?’ and the like. Plus we have to make sure it is up to code. I am not an electrician so I have to rely the electrician to tell me if we can do this. We are trying to cut costs as best we can.”
