(June 22, 2009)

ODEM--Odem town leaders will talk about creating a police department at their meeting tomorrow night. It's a debate they have been discussing for years but finally the plan is moving forward.

Odem is a small town that's growing and with growth has come more crime problems. Many believe having extra officers will add a police presence that's needed.

Odem is like many small towns along Highway 77. Drug trafficking happens on the highway, Meanwhile in the neighborhoods, drug sales and property crimes are a problem.

Residents want better police patrols.

"Probably, patrol the streets better at night because we have a lot of drug activity and burglaries at night,"  said Erin Doria, an Odem resident.

The San Patricio County Sheriff's officers patrol the streets from Odem to Mathis. There aren't enough officers to go around and response time can be slow, at times.

So town leaders are floating the idea of creating a two-man police force at a cost of $80,000.

"Yeah, I think it would be better because it does take awhile for Sinton to get over here," said Bobbie Nix, an Odem resident. 

"It takes a long time to get from Sinton to Odem because I have had that happen," said Oralia Garcia, an Odem resident. "I can call them and it takes them forever to get here. So if it's here in Odem, they'll get there faster."

The San Patricio County Sheriff believes having a local police force would ease some pressure.

"It will help us a little bit in Odem with the calls that we have there due to the fact our officer can't always be in Odem because he gets called to the surrounding area," said Sheriff Leroy Moody. 

"Well it's always good to have a police department in your city to depend on it," said Lillian Cline, an Odem resident. "I guess you can say you feel more secure knowing there is a police department nearby."

Tuesday night, council leaders will discuss the issue and take the next step forward in starting their own police force.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com