By Sara StrongWith the upcoming retirement of Rock County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Kurt Kester, Rock County and the city of Luverne are about to begin discussions on how to handle the staffing of the department.While they haven’t said they favor leaving the department without one officer, a $42,000 deficit in the 2003 department budget is an issue.The County contracts with cities for law enforcement services, and the city of Luverne, although still on contract, is a partner in the operation of joint city-county law enforcement department.In his retirement letter, Kester said, "I apologize for the problems my leaving causes Sheriff [Mike] Winkels and to all partners if the county does not fill my position. I realize the problems the State of Minnesota has caused with their budget cuts, however I also know how important it is to have a fully-staffed Sheriff’s Office. I hope the County Commissioners can find a way to replace the position I am opening up; Rock County needs a strong Sheriff’s Office."If the position isn’t filled, it will save the county immediate expenses in salary. Another option would be eliminating the investigator position or not having officers on duty 24 hours a day.The County Attorney’s Office has said the investigator position has proven to be valuable to prosecutions. The Joint Law agreement doesn’t specify the number of officers to be employed, although it stipulates that the department will have two sergeants and 24-hour coverage. The agreement will be reviewed between the county and city as soon as possible.
