Sollie: Public helped abolish county patrol

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
Feb. 9, 2003
It took seven years of work, but Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie finally won control of the county patrol.
The county patrolman positions for Supervisor Districts 3, 4 and 5 were eliminated Thursday, while the positions for Supervisor Districts 1 and 2 will be eliminated April 1.
Supervisors had said in the past that county patrolmen had a wide range of responsibilities that included serving as crossing guards and helping maintain county roads.
Money funding the positions will now shift to the sheriff's department. The county had budgeted about $203,000 for the positions; two-thirds of that, or about $135,000, remains for the rest of the fiscal year.
Sollie credited an informed public with creating the change of heart among county supervisors that led to last week's 3-2 vote eliminating the county patrolman positions.