TYLER (KYTX) - A few steps remain before the Winona Independent School District can establish its own police department. The department now has a chief, Michael Pehl, but his commission will be held under the Smith County Fire Marshal’s office, under a Memorandum of Understanding approved by the Smith County Commissioners Court. The arrangement will last until the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement approves the district’s application for its own force.
"When I say establish, we just don't throw our hands up and say, hey we have a police department now,” Pehl said. “There's a lot of things that have to change.”
Pehl told CBS19 he is working on policies regarding things like fire drills and lockdowns. He hopes the state will approve the application for the department within the next three months.
District leaders voted to establish its own force after the City of Winona shut down its police department earlier this year.
