King, NC -- A Triad city is considering cutting the police department to balance the budget.
We can all understand the importance of a balanced budget but is it worth your personal safety?
The city of King is considering disbanding the police department but unlike the town of Candor, the move to get rid of the department is an effort to save money.
Without a police force, the responsibility for protecting the citizens would most likely fall on the Stokes County Sheriff's Department.
If it changed response times, that could put you and your family at risk.
As some residents see it, the move is essentially public safety under consideration.
King residents have been hearing rumors about this for a while but to actually see city leaders take formal action to look into this has caught many off-guard including the sheriff and the police chief, Both tell News 2, no one from the city has personally met with the about the study.
"I would have appreciated a heads up myself," said Chief Paula May
Chief May says there was no request by city leaders for her to rein in spending at the police department.
"I've not been requested to cut services or to cut anything out of our budget and have not since I've been here for 3.5 years," May said.
Instead, 25 department jobs now hang in the balance as police duties could potentially be handed to the sheriff's office.
"If this is truly only about a budgetary decision, then I'll be glad to make the budgetary cuts," the chief said.
Like many here Elizabeth Abbott says the issue is about her family's safety.
"Just [the fact] that they are looking into it upsets me," Abbott explained.
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There's only one police station in King but three to four officers per shift and according to the police chief, a 2-3 minutes response time.
Compare that with five sheriff's deputies across the whole county per shift.
One department office about 25 minutes away and according to the sheriff, a 5-10 minute response time on average.
"We have heard the sirens at night. The police are all over the place. So disbanding them, who is going to take care of the issues that arise?" Abbott questioned.
And if the point of the study is to save money, Chief May says she doesn't see the city beefing up the sheriff's department to take on the added duties.
"The bottom line is it's up to the people in the city to determine what they want and what they need as far as public safety," said Chief May.
At least one person News 2 met in King said they don't mind if the police or sheriff's deputies patrol the area as long as someone is doing it.
Here is another problem; the town of king stretches over two counties: Forsyth and Stokes.
So if, this study disbands the police department, the Stokes sheriff's office won't have jurisdiction in the part of town in Forsyth County.
Our calls to the mayor and city council members who voted for this study were not returned.
WFMY News 2