St. Paul Pioneer Press
FOLEY, Minn. — Security guards — not police — will patrol the streets of Foley.
The city council has voted to sign a six-month contract with the private security firm General Security Services.
Earlier this year, Foley officials voted to end their contract for police protection with the Benton County sheriff’s office. Deputies have been patrolling the city since 2003.
Interim City Administrator Sarah Brunn said the security guards will be responsible for ordinance enforcement, but will not be able to investigate crimes or make traffic stops.
The security firm is charging the city about $16,000 a month for 24-hour-a-day service. Benton County was charging Foley about $24,000 a month for 17 hours of protection.
State aid cuts and tighter budgets are main reasons for the switch.
Copyright 2011 St. Paul Pioneer Press