(KLZA) A major change to the way law enforcement is handled in Auburn will hopefully mean no major changes at all.
In November the Auburn City Council and Nemaha County, Nebraska Commissioners approved a contract for the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement for the City of Auburn.  With the new year arriving Tuesday, the Auburn Police Department no longer exists.
Sheriff Brent Lottman says that after several weeks of preparing for the change, he has no major concerns from a law enforcement standpoint. ( play audio :25 seconds )
The City of Auburn will pay the county $283,000 for law enforcement services for the first year of the contract with provisions included to review the amount prior to the beginning of the second and third years of the contract.  As part of the agreement, Nemaha County hired the three Auburn Police Department officers as Deputy Sheriff’s and the police department equipment, including the patrol cars become the property of Nemaha County.
Sheriff Lottman says his department will enforce the City ordinances and he is counting on his new officers to help the other deputies with these ordinances.  ( play audio :58 seconds )
The Sheriff says Nemaha County rural residents and those living in other communities in the county will not see a decrease in law enforcement services due to this change.  ( play audio  :12 seconds )
Auburn residents that need to contact law enforcement may continue to use the same phone numbers they have in the past.  ( play audio  :32 seconds )
 Again those numbers are 402-274-3139 or 402-274-4977.
Sheriff Lottman encourages those with questions and complaints to contact the Nemaha County, Nebraska Sheriff’s Department.  ( play audio  :17 seconds )