It was a packed crowd inside the band room at Nickerson High School Monday night over the decision of the City Council to disband the Police Department over what appeared to be the objections of most in attendance at the meeting.

By a 4-3 vote, the council agreed to an ordinance that would get rid of the department at least for now. However, the issue will be put to a public vote in April. Officials in favor of getting rid of the police, at least for now, say this will give them time to look for good officers.

They already budgeted 100-hundred thousand dollars for 2013, but say they might need to raise the mill levy slightly to accommodate hiring police officers. Citizen’s speaking at the meeting indicated that they want officers to live in the city and believe in the community.

So what about law enforcement now? Sheriff Randy Henderson was at the meeting and talked about how his department handles calls. He says it is based on the most serious situations, but says they will respond to all calls, but not always right away.

Some residents worried that students at Hutchinson Community College may choose Nickerson as a place to party, because of having no law enforcement in the community.

The Sheriff’s Office apparently responded to a report of a stolen motorcycle call, when Nickerson Police allegedly refused to. That reportedly sparked the latest controversy, however there have been friction between police and the city council in Nickerson for years.

Sheriff Henderson admitted that other areas may be taken care of first including the city of Hutchinson, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. He says its because of the much larger population, but says if something does happen in the city of Nickerson, they will respond hot, in other words red light and siren. Still, there’s concern that deputies could be miles away when a call comes in and not able to respond as quickly as if there were officers right there in the city.

The ordinance disbanding the Nickerson Police Department won’t officially take effect until its published in the Sterling newspaper.