COOL VALEY, Mo. - A small St. Louis County town is doing away with its police department.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that cash-strapped Cool Valley will save about $200,000 annually by turning over police duties to a neighboring town. Cool Valley is negotiating with Normandy and Ferguson. A decision is expected within a month.
Mayor Viola Murphy says city expenses have been exceeding revenue, and the police department's budget of $600,000 was the biggest chunk of the city's overall $1 million budget.
Ferguson and Normandy have both said they would likely hire about half of Cool Valley's 10 officers to help patrol the city.
