MONMOUTH — Townspeople, the police department is in your hands.

Selectmen have called a special meeting Feb. 3 hoping the public comes to tell them what they’d like to see in the town’s police force.

Policy. Personnel. Hours of coverage. It’s all up for discussion.

“There is no proposal to respond to; it’s an open-ended forum,” Town Manager Curtis Lunt said. “The more input, the better. We believe in democracy.”

Monmouth took five tries in passing a Police Department budget last fall and Chief Robert Annese resigned early this month. His last day is Feb. 6.

Lunt said the town is advertising for a new chief, but “we haven’t decided what kind of person we want.”

The forum next week, he hopes, will offer some direction. It’s being held at Cumston Hall at 6 p.m.

Including a chief, the Monmouth force is made up of four full-time employees, with some part-timers, who provide 20-hour a day coverage.

kskelton@sunjournal.com