Anderson County Sheriff's Office, Belton Police Department Merge, What You Need to Know

Lina Portman4 days ago

0 2 minutes read

Law enforcement officials say policing small towns can be difficult due to limited resources, a small pool of officers and high turnover.

This can lead to longer emergency response times and difficulty solving certain types of crimes.

On June 18, the Anderson County Council unanimously approved the third and final ordinance authorizing an intergovernmental agreement between the Anderson County Sheriff's Department and the Town of Belton.

By merging, the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and the Belton Police Department aim to combine resources and increase their effectiveness in policing small towns such as Belton.

This agreement allows the Anderson County Sheriff's Department to provide additional law enforcement services and resources within the Town of Belton beginning July 1.

The city of Belton paid $1.2 million for a five-year contract to merge its police department with the county.

“I am extremely excited about the future of the City of Belton with the integration of the Belton Police Department and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office,” said Belton Mayor Eleanor Dorn.

Belton Police Join Anderson County Sheriff's Department

With the addition of new officers, an additional team has been added to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office's uniformed patrol unit. This unit includes 10 deputies: a lieutenant, a sergeant and eight officers.

Officers will provide 24-hour coverage within city limits and will have immediate access to specialized teams including the K9 Unit, Narcotics Investigations Unit and all divisions of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.

“This is a win-win situation for the Belton community and the veteran officers of the police department because they will maintain 24-hour coverage within the city limits while being supported by a larger organization,” said Sheriff Chad McBride.

Anderson County Sheriff's Office Uniformed Patrol Unit

Belton police officers will wear the sheriff's deputy uniform starting July 1.

Deputies will be driving Anderson County Sheriff's Office vehicles with additional graphics to identify them as City of Belton substation vehicles.

This distinction in uniforms and vehicles allows for easy identification and differentiation between law enforcement units.

Who will lead Belton's police deputies?

Lt. RJ Bown will lead the Belton Unit deputies while reporting to the Uniformed Patrol Captain.

Brown has served as interim chief of the Belton Police Department since January and has a proven background in military and law enforcement.

“Brown’s professional, knowledgeable and strong leadership has been a blessing to our community since he joined us in January 2024,” Dorn said.

“He has dedicated many hours of service to our community and has been instrumental in preparing our department and officers for the impending transition.”

Anderson County Sheriff's Office: SRO Division

Three Belton school resource officers will join the school resource office division at the office.

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office SRO Division is responsible for maintaining the safety of schools in the county.

“Crime today is different from that of ten years ago. As a small municipality, we must seize every opportunity to improve the services we provide to our community,” said Mr. Dorn.

Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. You can contact him by email at [email protected].

Belton Police Join Anderson County Sheriff's Department

Anderson County Sheriff's Office Uniformed Patrol Unit

Who will lead Belton's police deputies?

Anderson County Sheriff's Office: SRO Division

Lina Portman

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