Officers Receive Promotion

Advancement inside the Lafayette Police Department is a long time coming for some officers working years toward promotion.

In this week's budget meeting, Chief Jim Craft said he needs more money so he can keep the better officers on his payroll. The council even joked the police department has literally become a training ground for those that offer more like state police.

Craft says hiring freezes, low pay and the increase of insurance premiums has strained the department. Craft also says promotions aren't happening as fast as he and the officers would like because the officers can't survive on the pay they get while they wait for the years it takes to advance.