Village requires officers leave near Whitehall

Police forces exist to “serve and protect” the jurisdiction that they serve and village officials think that can be done even better when the officers live near the community.
The Whitehall Village Board of Trustees, last Tuesday, passed a new resolution requiring police officers to reside within 10 miles of the village.
The resolution that was in place prior to the passing of the new one only required that officers live within 20 miles of the village.
This new regulation will not impact officers who already work for the department and it also includes an exemption clause, through which village board members can approve the hiring of an office outside of this radius, based on necessity.
For example, if the village needed a new officer and no applications were coming from within the radius, the board could approve the hiring of an officer residing outside of the radius.
However, there are some rules regarding the village hiring someone outside of the radius.
“If you make the decision to make an exemption for someone, you cannot recall that and use that as a reason to terminate them,” Village Attorney Erika Sellar-Ryan said.
Sellar-Ryan drafted the Cambridge law, regarding a police hiring radius, and that law served as a model for the resolution that the village implemented.
Although some board members advocated an addition requiring the chief to live within the village, that amendment was not made and the chief is held to the same standards as the rest of the department.
The lengthy resolution will be sent down to the Department of Civil Service and ultimately will be enacted as the residency policy for Whitehall police officers.