Constables in Kentucky have been around for over 160 years. But however necessary the county-level job may have been in 1850, some lawmakers today believe it's no longer relevant. Others maintain constables free up law enforcement for more pressing work and provide an additional set of eyes and ears for police and sheriff's departments. Now, Senate Bill 30 is under consideration in Frankfort. The measure would allow counties more latitude to decide what constables do. SB 30 began life, however, as a constitutional amendment that would've abolished the office. Todd Hatton spoke with Calloway County Constable Tim Stone to find out more about what he and his colleagues do, how they're funded, and what the future may hold for them if SB 30 becomes law.
Todd Hatton hails from Paducah, Kentucky, where he got into radio under the auspices of the late, great John Stewart of WKYX while a student at Paducah Community College. He also worked at WKMS in the reel-to-reel tape days of the early 1990s before running off first to San Francisco, then Orlando in search of something to do when he grew up. He received his MFA in Creative Writing at Murray State University. He vigorously resists adulthood and watches his wife, Angela Hatton, save the world one plastic bottle at a time.
