Police Presence Returns To Small Oklahoma Town

BILLINGS, Okla. (AP) -- For the first time in nine years, a small Noble County town has a police department.<br/><br/>Travis Hough has worked as the new police chief in Billings for about a month, after

Saturday, July 14th 2007, 7:15 pm

By: News On 6

BILLINGS, Okla. (AP) -- For the first time in nine years, a small Noble County town has a police department.

Travis Hough has worked as the new police chief in Billings for about a month, after spending more than 23 1/2 years as a military police officer.

He said the town's previous police chief retired nine years ago and the town couldn't afford to hire a replacement, so it went without a police presence until Hough was hired. Billings voters passed a one-cent sales tax in 2006 to provide funds for a police department.

In the interim, the Noble County Sheriff's office provided the town's primary law enforcement.

"We're just glad to have a lawman in town," said Monte Moss, who owns Billings Market.

Hough said so far, he's working six days a week, with workdays averaging 11 to 14 hours.

Reviving the police department "was pretty difficult at first, but I think I've pretty well done it," Hough said. "We had to order everything. Some of our forms were dated 1979.

"The term 'serve and protect' is something I believe in wholly," he said. "I am their police chief, and I am going to do my job."