Water Patrol Merger Meeting This Wednesday

A third meeting in the ongoing discussion regarding the Water Patrol’s merger with the Highway Patrol is set to take place tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at the Ozark Technical College campus in Hollister near Table Rock Lake. A local sheriff is expected to speak about the loss of officers on the 3 lake area and the time it’s now taking for them to respond to issues. The special committee was formed to investigate the merger and it’s realization of savings or issues for the state. There will be a final meeting on December 4^th in St. Joseph before the committee will announce their recommendations to the Missouri House by the end of the year. This comes on the heels of the drowning death of 20 year old Brandon Ellingson while in custody of the Highway Patrol’s Water Division back in May.