Small North Carolina police department ceases all operations
Bethel NC June 21, 2023
The Town of Bethel has decided for now to cease operations of the Bethel Police Department. Officials have signed an agreement with the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.
“A couple of years ago, not our current board, but our previous board, we had discussed maybe shutting down the police department, but we never acted on it,” said Bethel Mayor Carl Wilson. “As time went by and we started losing officers, the current board decided that we need to maybe go ahead and talk with the (Pitt County) sheriff.”
The Bethel Police Department was down to only two officers. The agreement with the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office was signed on April 16 and the police department ceased operations on June 6.
“The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office will be assisting the town of Bethel by providing off-duty deputies for contracted coverage within the town during times as negotiated. At other times when staffing is not present, deputies will be available to respond to calls for service within the town as they are going about their usual duties,” Sgt. Lee Darnell, the public relations and information officer, said in a statement to WNCT.
The statement went on to say, “The law enforcement recruiting and retention crisis that all agencies are facing right now has put us all in a difficult position. Our office certainly understands having to make tough decisions because of this environment.”
Wilson said with this agreement, they’re able to change things as they go along when needed. Both the sheriff’s office and the town of Bethel said their priority is the welfare of all citizens.
“We want them to feel safe by having the sheriff’s department to do the coverage for us. And at the same time, as they see more and more of our sheriff cars riding around, I’m hoping that they will feel safe in the community,” said Wilson.
Wilson said the agreement is signed for only a couple of months at a time. So far, there’s been positive feedback from those living in Bethel on this new agreement.
