Oskaloosa ? Talk about interagency cooperation.

Three Jefferson County towns have sheriff’s officers working as part-time police chiefs.

• Sgt. George Welch is chief in Meridan.
• Lt. Rick Jones is chief in Oskaloosa.
• Detective Troy Frost is chief in Nortonville.

Sheriff Roy Dunnaway thinks having officers in dual purpose law enforcement roles is an advantage both for the county and the towns. In rural Jefferson County, police and sheriff’s officers constantly back up each other in emergencies.

“It’s a big manpower benefit,” Dunnaway said. “If they are out on a major incident and need to be out there for awhile I can make the decision to switch them over to county pay.”