EUTAW – The Greene County Sheriff’s Department has less work; the Eutaw Police Department has more.

Last week, police officers in Eutaw began the primary patrol of a recently annexed portion of Greene County – which became part of the city limits.

The new police responsibilities mean at least 1,300 Eutaw residents now fall under the jurisdiction of police.

“We officially passed ownership of the new annexation area to the EPD last Wednesday, July 7,” Greene County Sheriff Johnny Isaac said.

With Martin Luther King Village and Branch Heights going to Chief Reginald Spencer and the EPD, this will help free up the amount of calls received from these areas and will allow some of the deputies to help patrol other areas. Losing these two area will help reduce are number of domestic violence charges dramatically, he said.

“This will allow for more coverage of the smaller towns around us like Boligee, Union, and Snotty,” Isaac said.

There are many advantages to giving the annexed land to the police department including allowing more coverage of the smaller towns, faster responses to crimes due to more deputies, and many other benefits that will only help in stopping crime in Greene County, he said.

“This will help us build a stronger relationship with the outlying areas of Greene County, as well as assisting the Eutaw Police in any of the matters that arise,” Isaac said.

Eutaw Mayor Raymond Steele said this is just another example of how working together will turn Eutaw in the right direction. Plus, this will allow the city to start working on adding services to the newly annexed area.

Calls to Chief Spencer were not immediately returned.