1974: Eldridge council balks at adding more police hours

June 26, 1974: The Eldridge City Council rejected a request from the Eldridge Police Department for additional manhours. The request was made after a resident reported her vehicle had been involved in a hit-and-run accident and a police officer was not able to respond to the scene until an hour after the incident. Police chief Harley Osmun said the incident took place during the only period of the week that was not covered by an officer – 160 of 168 hours were currently covered. He said the council had given him an ultimatum in March when it prevented him from hiring a part-time officer.