January 02, 2025
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Sycamore police buy new squad car for K-9 officer

Sycamore to purchase four vehicles for $170K

By Camden Lazenby
Sycamore Police K-9 officer Greyson Scott and his Belgian malinois Wes look at the computer in their cruiser Thursday, April 18, 2024, at the Sycamore Forest Preserve.

Sycamore Police K-9 officer Greyson Scott and his Belgian malinois Wes look at the computer in their cruiser Thursday, April 18, 2024, at the Sycamore Forest Preserve. (Mark Busch)

SYCAMORE – The city of Sycamore soon will purchase new vehicles for multiple departments, and one is headed to the police department’s K-9 unit.

City officials were given the go-ahead from the Sycamore City Council on Monday to purchase four new vehicles for the city’s police and community development departments.

The Sycamore City Council on Monday approved spending $170,000 to purchase four new vehicles.

“One of the new 2025 F-150 Police Interceptors will be an addition to the fleet and assigned for sole use by a K-9 officer,” Police Chief Jim Winters wrote in a Dec. 10 letter to City Manager Michael Hall.

The purchase includes two 2025 Ford F-150 Police Interceptors, one 2025 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor and one 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The latter cost $29,794 and will replace the Community Development Department’s 2012 Ford Escape, documents show.

Sycamore Community Development Director John Sauter wrote in a Dec. 9 letter to Hall that the old vehicle could be sold through a public equipment action site.

He also wrote that keeping the Escape in working order would be costly to the city.

“The Escape is accumulating repair expenses due to its age, and it is anticipated that those expenses will only become more sizable and frequent,” Sauter wrote.

The Ford Explorer for the police department will cost $45,871, and the two Ford F-150s will cost a combined total of $94,970, documents show.

Winters wrote that the vehicles won’t come completely ready for patrols, however.

“Upon receipt of the approved vehicles, they will be outfitted with emergency equipment and lighting and marked with the official Sycamore police markings,” Winters wrote. “This request for fiscal 2025 funding is being presented at this time due to uncertain production and delivery dates on these vehicles.”

Speaking during Monday’s meeting, Hall said a 2023 decision to change the city’s fiscal schedule to align with the calendar has allowed the city to find cost savings on replacement vehicles.

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