CAT Tracks for September 30, 2009

CAT Tracks for September 30, 2009

From the KFVS TV Channel 12 Website...

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Alexander County Sheriff's Department gets donated cars

By Tyler Profilet

CAIRO, IL (KFVS) - Alexander County should be better equipped to handle emergencies.

At 10:15 a.m., five patrol cars donated by the St. Lucie County, Florida Sheriff's Department arrived at the Alexander County courthouse, capping an emotional week for Sheriff David Barkett. "I'm overwhelmed. Thank you is too inadequate, but that's all we got to offer," Barkett said. "We're getting emails, phone calls, letters. All I can say is there are a lot of good people in this country and in this county."

Barkett says his deputies had been driving cars with more than 200,000 miles. These cars have about 100,000 miles apiece, and are equipped with lights and cages.

The bank recently repossessed five of the county's seven squad cars because the department was behind on payments.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara says the cruisers are a little older and his sheriff's department doesn't need them.

"As a sheriff I know the demands he faces every day," said St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara. "I couldn't imagine facing those demands without cars."

In addition to losing his cruisers, Alexander County Sheriff David Barkett has lost 3/4th's of his staff, most of his deputies due to budget cuts.

The county now has five deputies and each deputy will get a car.

Barkett says he expects the cars to be on the road in one to two weeks.

"This will make my job a lot easier. The only thing we're short on now is man power," he said.

Barkett is hoping to add four more deputies by applying for a federal grant.

But for now the sheriff's office is just one of many cash strapped departments in Alexander County.

"It's not just the sheriff's department in this county. Every office has problems," said Illinois Senator Gary Forby. "They're all shorthanded. They're all short on money. So you can't blame one or the other."

"We haven't had a lot of federal help with the recession and things like that, but the state doesn't have the funds either," said Illinois Rep. Brandon Phelps. "So every little bit we get in Southern Illinois means a lot."

Barkett says increased funding is the missing link for his department.

"My people have been out. They're working long hours. But we have maintained protection. It's not to the level where I think it should be. But we're doing the best we can with that we've been given to deal with at this time," he said.

Thanks to St. Lucie County, Barkett has one less problem to deal with.

From the Southeast Missourian...

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Florida sheriff donates police patrol cars to Alexander County

By Bridget DiCosmo ~ Southeast Missourian

CAIRO, Ill. -- Alexander County Sheriff David Barkett may have lost 75 percent of his staff in the past year and a half, but at least the five remaining deputies will have something to drive, thanks to a sheriff in Florida. Barkett's department received a donation this week of five patrol cruisers from St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara.

Mascara had learned of Alexander County's financial plight, which received national media attention last week when a local bank repossessed five of its patrol cars because the county defaulted on its loan payments.

"He said, 'Hey, I had hurricanes and sheriff's departments all over the country stepped up. Now it's my turn,'" Barkett said. "Thank God for that man."

The five Ford Interceptors had been on the auction block before Mascara decided to donate them to Alexander County, Barkett said. Mascara had the cars equipped with light bars, cages and other police gear before shipping them to Cairo, he said.

"I think some of the deputies even volunteered to wash the cars before they sent them up here," Barkett said.

Barkett recently lost seven part-time and four full-time employees to a round of layoffs and last year was forced to lay off four part-time deputies. The outpouring of moral support he's gotten from other law enforcement agencies around the nation has been overwhelming, Barkett said.

Making sure the rural county is protected has been a constant struggle and has resulted in Barkett pulling 18-hour shifts on certain days, he said.

"We're all worn out, physically," Barkett said. "This is not how it should be done, this is not how I'd like to be doing it, but it's what I've been mandated to do."

The Illinois State Police has been assisting the sheriff's department in patrolling the county, and deputies have been able to maintain good response to 911 calls, Barkett said.