The Knox City Police Department is working hard to cover shifts. One full-time officer is out on medical leave, and others have been out sick. Only two part-time officers are on the roster while a third is on medical leave, and it’s not known when that officer will return. Chief Clint Norem said other departments have offered to step up to assist the department.
Chief Norem also recently told the Board of Public Works that officer Eric Vanderhoff will be on his way to the police academy on March 9 and will be gone until July.
Chief Norem was able to tour the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center with Sheriff Bill Dulin. The facility is expected to be complete this spring. Norem said the transition will require changes for every department. Inmate booking will be different along with many other procedures. He noted that it will take time to adjust, and all involved will need to communicate and be patient as things settle.
The department’s Humvee has been transferred to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Norem said it wasn’t being utilized the way department had envisioned. He thought if a different department could find a use he’d be happy to transfer it. The Humvee was recently picked up, and Norem said the Knox City Police Department will no longer need to keep activity logs on the military vehicle.
