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Last updated on Wednesday, December 17, 2014
(BEDFORD) - The Lawrence County Council meeting was a meeting of farewells Tuesday night.
The council said their goodbyes to Sheriff Sam Craig and Chief Public Defender Lorinda Youngcourt.
Tuesday night was Sheriff Craig's and Youngcourt's last meeting to address the council.
Craig, who has served eight years as sheriff, will be handing over the reigns to Sheriff elect Mike Branham. Craig's last day in office will be December 31.
Youngcourt, whose last day will be Friday, is moving to Seattle, Washington to take a position there.
Prosecutor Bruce Andis will serve as intern chief until a replacement is found to fill Youngcourt's position. The board; Linda Henderson, Ross Gene and Joe Ross; are seeking applicants to fill the position. Those interested must apply for the job by January 15. The board will then fill the position by February 15.
Both Craig and Youngcourt thanked the council and the public for their years of support.
One of Craig's last actions of sheriff will be to see each of the 25 officer is equipped with a body camera. He is also looking at purchasing around 5 to 10 more for reserve officers.
"We are doing some research on getting the best equipment at the best price," Craig added.
Body cameras cost from $300 to $1,000 each and Craig has the money in his budget to purchase the cameras.
Craig says the cameras are a valuable tool for the department.
"The ability to record audio and video of police encounters with the public can help guard against officer misconduct and clear cops falsely accused of wrongdoing," he added.
In other business several transfers took place:
The council also approved the budget for the Lawrence County Tourism Commission.
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