The Winamac Police Department will be adding former Medaryville police officer Sheri Gaillard to their force following a decision made by the Winamac Town Council earlier this week. Town Marshal Mike Buchanan brought this idea to the attention of the board last month but was asked to look into the cost before the council would act on the request.
Though Gaillard volunteered to work as an unpaid reserve officer, a new law that goes into effect January 2018 requires police departments to be financially responsible for injuries a reserve officer may incur while in the line of duty. Buchanan found that it would cost $1,000 to add Gaillard to the department’s workman’s compensation policy and an additional $500 for insurance coverage.
The council members agreed that the additional assistance would be well worth the cost and permitted the police department to spend $1,500 to hire her as an unpaid reserve officer. Gaillard will have all the same authority as a regular officer and can be called in to work anytime under the discretion of the department. She will be sworn in on September 1, 2017 and work under a one year contract.
