FOUR SEASONS, Mo. — The Four Seasons Lakesites Property Owners Association (POA) has decided not to renew its contract with the Camden County Sheriff Department for security services in Four Seasons.

Four Seasons property owners have been asking what this means to them as far as safety is concerned.

According to a release sent by POA Board of Directors President Mary Bustin, the contract provided enhanced services for both Horseshoe Bend and Porto Cima. Included in this contract was patrolling the 143 miles of POA roads in both the Horseshoe Bend and Porto Cima areas, checking POA amenities, providing away-from-residence checks for property owners, and checking on wastewater warning lights.

Camden County Sheriff Tony Helms stated in an interview on KRMS radio that an agreement with the Horseshoe Bend District was started years ago by Camden County Sheriff John Page; at that time Highway 54 was only three lanes. “It could take sheriff’s deputies 35 to 45 minutes to get to an emergency in Four Seasons, unless a deputy happened to be in the area,” Helms said.

The Village of Four Seasons and the Four Seasons Lakesites POA are separate entities. Each has had a contract with the Camden County Sheriff Department, as well as private security services, to provide enhanced additional services beyond the normal scope provided to county residents and paid through taxes.

The POA paid $144,000 annually to the Camden County Sheriff Department for these enhanced services.

According to Village of Four Seasons Board of Trustees Chairman Tony Baldridge, the village also currently has a contract with the Camden County Sheriff’s Department for enhanced services. “This provides police service for residents and has been in place for more than 10 years,” Baldridge said.

The sheriff’s department has a remote office on Cherokee Road in the Village of Four Seasons under the Village Hall. “There is a deputy in the Village 24/7 and sometimes two or three,” Baldridge said. “There are a lot of second homeowners who live in the city who are used to having law enforcement close by and living in a county does not provide the same fast emergency services they are accustomed to.”

The Village pays the sheriff’s department $85,000 annually. “If you add the provided office ($36,000) and utilities, we actually pay them approximately $130,000 annually,” Baldridge said. “They provide us with excellent service. One of the officers lives in the village and we have a great relationship with the sheriff and his deputies. We are happy to have them, and we will continue to have them.”

Over the years, due to the growth in the POA and the increase of commercial properties (not in the POA) in the Horseshoe Bend Area, the demands on the sheriff's department have increased. Over the past 13 years there has been significant population growth in the area. With this growth has come new construction, increased usage of amenities and the growth of short-term rentals (mostly in the Porto Cima area) all requiring more oversight. This additional oversight includes code enforcement, adherence to building guidelines, wastewater system monitoring and the monitoring of amenities.

Beginning in 2024 the POA Board opted to increase the budget for the Owner Services Department by hiring more personnel to help with the growth in the area. The Board is maintaining a budgeted amount to be used specifically for contracted services from either the Sheriff's department or private security.

“The CCSD will still be in the area doing what they do best and what they are best trained to do,” Bustin said in the release. “The POA will continue to work with and support the Camden County commission and its departments.”

According to Helms, the department does not have any other similar contracts with a municipality. The department can provide a uniformed deputy, in a marked car for a fee, with a contract with the county. An off-duty deputy can also be privately hired, at their own risk, but they cannot wear a department uniform or drive a department vehicle. “We still provide security for several complexes to help on busy holidays,” Helms said. “If a deputy comes across something off-duty, they will do whatever they can until an on-duty officer arrives.

“Four Seasons hired a full-time armed security service at one time,” Helms said. “But, due to the high cost of insurance they eliminated that service. We had a deputy shot and killed in Four Seasons.”

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Reserve Deputy Fred Feuser was shot and killed on Wednesday, December 7, 1994, after confronting two teenagers breaking into a storage building in the village of Four Seasons. The two teenagers had stolen a 27-foot speed boat and rammed it into the dock at the Lodge of the Four Seasons. They then began breaking into a storage building when they were stopped by an off-duty security guard. The guard called Reserve Deputy Feuser who responded to the scene. While they were waiting for two additional security guards to arrive, one of the teenagers fatally shot them both with a .22 caliber handgun. The two fled to a nearby home where they were arrested.

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