TAMMS RESIDENTS WANT EXTRA POLICE PROTECTION

The Tamms, Ill., Board of Trustees tonight will be approached by a delegation of residents who want the board to reconsider its decision to return a federal matching grant rather than use it to help hire more policemen.

So concerned over the decision were four Tamms residents that they initiated a petition urging the board to reverse its decision. At last report, some 300 of the town's 750 residents had signed the petition, which also asks that the board accept the grant. The petitions will be presented tonight.

Tamms, in Alexander County, has only two policemen. Police Chief Don Martin said crime has risen dramatically in the past five years. He works 35 hours a week, and the other policeman works 40 hours. With just two officers, around-the-clock police protection is impossible.

When neither of the two is on duty, Tamms residents call either Illinois State Police or the Alexander County Sheriff's Department. It takes a considerable amount of time for officers from either of those departments to get to Tamms. In an emergency, response time can be crucial.

Six months ago the village received the $159,000 grant to employ three police officers over three years. The Board of Trustees voted 3-2 April 1 to return the funding. One trustee was absent when the matter was decided.

Walter Pang, the president of the board, last week cited monetary constraints. The village would need to come up with almost $40,000 over the life of the grant, or a little over $13,000 each of the three years, and there isn't enough money in the Tamms budget to match the grant, he said.

Pang and the other board members are going to have to reconsider their decision. The town residents are intent on having more policemen, and with almost half of the population putting their names on the petition, the board would be remiss in not trying to work out a way to come up with the matching money.

If Tamms doesn't having the money, it could come down to whether residents are willing to reach into their pocketbooks for the $40,000 in matching funds. The Tamms board should give residents the opportunity to do so.