The president of the Amherstburg Police Association is assuring residents they can expect the same high quality policing they've been receiving going forward.
Amherstburg Constable, Shawn McCurdy says the council decision to switch to the Windsor Police Service isn't going to change the way his officers protect the community.
Monday night, council approved a 20-year contract with the Windsor Police set to go into effect January 1, 2019.
McCurdy says Amherstburg isn't one of the safest communities in Canada for no reason.
"I'm still a little shocked about the decision, but we didn't really have a say in this. It was council's decision, not ours. We all took an oath to do our duties and we're going to continue to do that. That's all we can do," says McCurdy.
Windsor Police Chief, Al Frederick says Windsor and Amherstburg Police Services have co-existed for decades.
"They're an awesome police service, there is no question about it," says Frederick. "It's just the economies of scale, the expertise and financially that we can assist them with."
He adds "We'll put committees together and we'll iron out one issue after another and at the end of the day, we're going to see some great synergies for both communities in the future."
The 20-year contract is expected to save the town $14-million plus an additional $2-million to $3-million in pensions and benefits.
The proposal now goes to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission for final approval.
— with files from AM800's Ricardo Veneza and Kristylee Varley