GERMANTOWN—Amid the highly charged mid-term election campaigns, the ballot for voters Germantown also included Proposition 1, asking whether the town should adopt Local Law No.2 of 2018 which abolishes the Germantown Police Department.

At a special meeting in August the Town Board unanimously voted to abolish the Police Department, but after the board voted a petition was circulated and enough signatures were collected to require a referendum on the ballot for the November 6 elections.

The lines at one of the polling sites in Germantown were at times long, and according to Paula Hurley, “I waited close to 45 minutes. The place was packed.” Despite the lines and torrential rain voters were not deterred from casting their ballots. The measure to abolish the town Police Department passed by a vote of 490 to 372 in the unofficial count Tuesday night.

Supervisor Robert Beaury said after the election, “The voters have made the choice to support the Town Board’s unanimous decision to abolish Germantown’s Police Department.”

For all practical purposes the department has already been dismantled and it has no active officers. But for Germantown, not having its own Police Department does not mean lack of protection. Both the State Police and county Sheriff’s Office have it covered.