KETCHUM, Idaho — The Ketchum City Council voted to end its 17-year contract with the Blaine County Sheriff's Office, opting to reinstate its own police department under city control.
WATCH: Blaine County Sheriff's Office responds to the city council vote
The council voted 3-1 on April 9 to officially end the agreement. On Monday, the sheriff's office served the city with an official termination notice, setting a 120-day timeline for complete separation.
RELATED | Ketchum City Council ends contract with Blaine County Sheriff's Office
"Our aim is to have that transition finalized by August 1," Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis said.
The sheriff's office has been the primary law enforcement agency for Ketchum since 2009.
During a city council meeting earlier this month, members and neighbors criticized the sheriff's office's prevention-based policing policy, which includes strict DUI enforcement. Critics insisted on a more light-handed, community-based policing approach.
"We believe in prevention-based policing, data-driven policing and actual enforcement, and it doesn't appear that's the direction they want to go," Ballis said.
"It's been disappointing on our end; we’ve been working very hard to keep the contract simply because we care about public safety and we can provide the highest level of service to the citizens of Ketchum through that direct contract," Ballis said.
Ballis said he disagrees with the council's criticism of Blaine County's service. "The truth of the matter is, we do police different in Ketchum, it's a different community, and as part of our contract we want to meet the needs of that community, but our enforcement remains the same," Ballis said.
He said he does not feel the city has fully thought out its decision, warning that Ketchum police might not be able to protect the community properly once his deputies leave city limits. Ballis noted the city's plan reduces the force by one officer and replaces three full-time county detectives with one part-time patrol detective.
"It's definitely going to be a challenge for the City of Ketchum to get their police department even close to up to par to what level of service we're providing now," Ballis said.
Ketchum neighbor Lucy Sackbaur believes the city has its priorities wrong.
"Our fire departments are trying to come together as one," Sackbaur said. "Why are the police departments now separating?"
"I think it's really inappropriate timing, I think the city has a lot more pressing issues that it needs to be concerned with," Sackbaur said. "I think the current contract was working from a citizen's standpoint."
Neighborhood Reporter Joey Martin reached out to the City of Ketchum for comment on the contract termination, but his calls were not returned by the deadline.
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