Sheldon, Iowa – The Sheldon Police Department is hopeful they’ll be able to increase their manpower level, as well as their fleet of patrol vehicles beginning later this year.
Sheldon Police Chief Scott Butch says his department has applied for a federal grant to help defray the cost of an additional officer.
The Chief says the department hope to get the word on whether they’ll receive that grant this year, or they’ll need to try again next year.
The Sheldon Police Department is also adding at least one additional vehicle to their current fleet of three Ford Explorer police cars, one of which is currently in Minnesota with K-9 Officer Eric Meineke and his new partner, Balin, as they complete their training. The need for more police vehicles was illustrated last week when all of the department’s officers were called out on a manhunt for the person who robbed Iowa State Bank. The entire department had just two cars to work with in their search for the suspect.
Chief Burtch says there’s one additional vehicle, a Ford F-150 “Responder” pickup that is on order, that they hope to get sometime this fall. In addition, he says, the department would like to add a fifth vehicle.
He talks about the reasons for moving to patrol pickups rather than additional Ford Explorers.
One of the department’s current patrol SUV’s has been specially equipped as a K-9 car, which Chief Burtch says will be a take-home car for K-9 Officer Eric Meineke.
With the current arrangement, the department’s patrol cars rack up miles pretty quickly. In fact, Chief Burtch says their 2020 Explorer patrol vehicle that went into service just over a year ago, already has nearly 50,000 on the odometer.
