King City votes to rebuild police department

The King City Council made a surprise move at its meeting Tuesday night when it took just a couple of hours to reject the sheriff’s office’s proposal to take over the King City Police Department.

“This is a big, huge, huge surprise but a happy outcome for the police department,” said police commander Alejandra Tirado.

Tirado was one of several officers to address the council. It was an emotional moment for many as they pleaded to keep their jobs.

One officer said, “If you close our agency – and I can only speak for me – I will lose everything.”

Another officer said, “The council’s final decision will not only affect the officers but their families’ livelyhood and that of the community.”

After officers took to the podium, Mayor Robert Cullen asked the crowd “Who supports the police department?” Almost every hand in the room went up.
The council voted 3-2 to rebuild the police department. Officers and their families were overjoyed.

“It’s been like a roller coaster. We’ve known for months the uncertainty of not knowing whether we were going to have a job,” said Tirado.