SAN ANTONIO — The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is helping the City of Grey Forest patrol following the resignation of both their police chief and deputy chief of police, according to Mayor Mandi Waldrop.
Two sergeants with Grey Forest also resigned. Now, the city has requested law enforcement presence from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for an interim period.
During this interim period, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office will provide 24/7 coverage for the City of Grey Forest and will assume all patrol responsibilities.
At present, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety and Communications Center dispatches emergency and non-emergency calls for the Grey Forest Police Department, which makes this interim response seamless.
Residents will experience no interruption in service.
Grey Forest Mayor Amanda Waldrop released a statement to KENS 5 saying:
As mentioned in recent releases, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has kindly stepped-up to assist during this time of change in the Forest. They have two deputies patrolling the area & have assigned a traffic officer specifically to our area of Scenic Loop Road. This coverage will continue until the new Interim Police Administrator, David Bejar, has been provided ample time to evaluate and address any concerns within the department.
A special thanks to the Grey Forest Police Department Reserve Officers! Thanks to them & Interim Police Administrator Bejar, the department will continue its normal shifts providing 24/7 coverage city-wide.
Several residents reached out and said they are satisfied with the arrangement.
"I am perfectly content with the interim arrangement for increased Bexar County Sheriff's patrol to cover while the vacated positions are filled. This is one of the mechanisms available to small towns that prevents police departments from holding the city hostage over employment negotiations and I applaud the Mayor for taking quick action to invoke it," said Andy Jackson, a resident.
However, others aren't.
"The response times, we have gone, the city has gone from a two minute response time and that's just based off logistics," said "Susan Darst, another resident.