Dexter police, drug unit renew pact

DEXTER, Mo. -- A SEMO Drug Task Force officer told the Dexter Board of Aldermen this week the relationship between the Dexter Police Department and the task force had been strained in recent months, but the agencies' cooperative agreement had been renewed.

Chris Graves of the task force met with aldermen Monday and told the board it was his understanding the agreement had been allowed to lapse, but the snafu had been corrected.

The issue was raised by Dennis Crutchfield of the Neighborhood Watch program. Crutchfield said he had heard of rumors concerning the relationship between the two agencies.

"I'm not sure what the rumor is," Graves told the board, but he thought there was a lapse in the contractual agreement between the task force and Dexter earlier this year.

However, he said, it was his understanding in speaking with acting police chief Paul Haubold that the problem has been taken care of.

Graves conceded that the lapse in the agreement probably was a result of a "paper shuffle" in the various staffing changes at the Dexter Police Department.

"Is our relationship the greatest right now?" Graves asked. "Probably not."