GLADE SPRING, Va. (AP) — One Virginia town is down to its last police officer. The Bristol Herald Courier quotes Glade Spring Police Chief Ricky Stumbo as saying the department has lost five officers since 2012, with one leaving last month. Stumbo asked the town’s council to hire another office Monday night as he’s now the sole member of the department. He says continued department cuts have backed him to a position where he can’t meet the community’s expectation for service. The U.S. Census Bureau says the town had about 1,500 people in 2010. Town officials were in negotiations with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to have the sheriff provide the town’s law enforcement services, but Sheriff Fred Newman backed out last month. A motion to analyze the budget for possible funding was unanimously passed.
