Andrew County residents will vote on a proposed sales tax Nov. 5 that aims to improve school and public safety in the community. Andrew County officials held a forum ahead of the election to discuss a half-cent public safety sales tax increase that would fund a full-time prosecutor in the county and, in addition, would add five school resource officers to schools in Andrew County.
A lack of school resource officers and one part-time prosecuting attorney has raised concern for the public safety of the community. Andrew County Prosecuting Attorney Monica Morrey said working to complete the duties of a full-time prosecutor on a part-time job schedule is unfeasible. “Last year, I filed 1,117 cases and this year, I'm over 1,300 and some change,” said Morrey.
“And a good number of those are serious felony offenses that take a lot of time to investigate, prosecute, and some of them go to jury trial, which takes a lot of time as well. “Ethically, as a prosecutor, I have to give these cases the time that they deserve and the victims the time that they deserve as well,” she added. Additionally, only two schools out of eight in the Andrew County school district have a school resource officer, and they’re part-time.
Andrew County commissioners and officials shared the many drawbacks that come with this, including the inability to quickly respond to school threats. “If my officers are up in Fillmore, Missouri, and they’re on routine patrol while something happens over at t.