Oran to fill police vacancies next week

ORAN, Mo. -- Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said Monday that the Scott County Sheriff's Department has received few calls from Oran since the town's police force resigned a week ago.

Walter said the call load from Oran is typical for a town its size -- a population of 1,264 at the 2000 census.

"We've had a couple of calls there, a couple of disturbance calls. That's really been about it," Walter said. "Nothing more than usual."

Oran's entire police force -- three full-time officers including former chief Marc Tragesser -- resigned last Tuesday. Tragesser, whose tenure as chief in Oran had sparked controversy in the small town, took a job as a deputy with the Mississippi County Sheriff's Department. The other full-time officers resigned along with Tragesser.

Walter said his deputies responded to a call about a verbal argument outdoors that didn't escalate into a physical fight and a report of a loud party in the past week.

As of Monday afternoon Oran had received three applications for police department positions. On Sunday the city began advertising in newspapers for someone to fill the position of chief and another full-time officer position.

Mayor Tom Urhahn said the city will wait another week for applications to come in. Then the board of aldermen will try to fill the open positions as soon as possible. Urhahn, also the town's postmaster, said he hasn't heard much concern in the community about the lack of a police force.

Urhahn announced the resignations at the board of aldermen's regular monthly meeting. At that time, he instructed Oran residents to call the Scott County Sheriff's Department with any complaints. Urhahn said Monday that's the advice he's still giving residents.

Walter said Scott County deputies will continue to patrol Oran during their regular sweeps through the northwest part of the county.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182