The Greene County Commission voted to abolish the Office of Constable in Greene County (First Reading) during their meeting yesterday evening.
After a lengthy discussion and weighing out the needs of constables now compared to the past, it was determined that constables are not necessarily needed, at least not like they used to be.
Although people agree that constables are an asset and were elected by the community, proper training and liability issues was definitely a factor in the required 2/3 vote. Commissioners voted 14-7 with Chase Murray, Jason Cobble, Tim Smithson, Bill Dabbs, Lyle Parton, Larkin Clemmer, and Paul Burkey voting against the abolishment.
Commissioners wanted to hear from Greene County Sheriff Wesley Holt who shared his thoughts on the need for constables. He said they are required 40 hours of training but then asked who’s going to give the training that’s needed and who determines what the constables are getting trained on? Holt said the state is behind on setting requirements for constables and it’s really no fault of their own for the lack of training. But ultimately he doesn’t feel the need to keep the Office of Constable is necessary and shared constables have their own schedule and have separate jobs. Most of the time they aren’t around when they are needed.
Greene County Attorney Roger Woolsey agreed that the needs for constables now are minor and there is currently a staff that is dedicated and trained to perform the same duties. Constables don’t even have to go through a psychological test like officers do. The Sheriff’s Office has the proper training and has to go through all the legal requirements/tests to be able to be hired, but the same cannot be said for constables. The resolution still has to go before the county commission again for a second reading before the approval is finalized.
