Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft told members of the Lafayette Consolidated Council months ago that the money for police detail along Simcoe and downtown was getting low.

The Assistant to the Chief Captain Vaughn Burris attended the Monday Police Council Liaision meeting. Captain Burris says both areas are equal areas of concern. “We view the Simcoe detail much the same way we do the downtown detail. Once everything is reviewed we adjust to what is needed from a law enforcement perspective,” says Burris.

Earlier this year, Chief Craft explained the overtime money used to pay for the weekend detail can only last so long. The money for policing downtown is already nearing the end. The chief hopes available funds can be found. Craft talked about the money flow about six months ago. “We’ll see if the administration and the council are willing to give us some additonal funds to finish out the year,” notes Craft.

Captain Burris says the department wants to work with bar owners and the owners of affected businesses. “We’re hoping we can sit down and come up with a better way of funding the amount of security that’s needed. We’re looking at options and we’re going to be trying different things to see what works in the future,” says Burris.

Burris says the chief has set a December 2016 target date to have a working solution after exploring funding alternatives.