Chad Morelli photo Pontoon Beach Mayor Jim Denham holds up five $1 bills. The Pontoon Beach police department sold off its fleet of police cars to other local police departments, assisting smaller agencies by giving away the cars for $1 each.

Village makes big donations to small departments

By Chad Morelli

It was probably the easiest sale Pontoon Beach Police Chief Charles Luehmann has ever made.

Luehmann met with representatives of five small Metro East police departments last week, selling five police vehicles in less than 30 seconds. Each vehicle sold for exactly $1, making this more of a giveaway than a sale.

Luehmann, who oversees a department of 16 sworn officers in a village with about 10,000 residents, knows many of the struggles a small police force must endure.

"It wasn't so long ago that we were right there, trying to find good cars and equipment and still make budget," he said. "When it comes to that stuff, it can be tough to get by as a small department."

For Luehmann and the Pontoon Beach police force, those worries came to an end this year. The department received $2.3 million as the result of a federal drug seizure program. On March 11, 2005, Pontoon Beach Probationary Officer John Simmons found $3.3 million in drug money hidden in the back of a tractor-trailer. The vehicle was parked at the Flying J Travel Center at the Interstate 270 and Illinois Route 4.

As part of the federal program, a large portion of the seized money goes back to the department that made the bust. The money comes with strings attached, Luehmann said, as it must be spent within one year and can only be used to purchase vehicles and other police equipment. It cannot be used to pay the salaries of officers or other personnel costs.

The federal program also encourages departments that receive a windfall to help other local police agencies. While the money cannot be directly transferred, Pontoon Beach can still lend assistance by donating old equipment, and in this case, Luehmann picked out five police cars to put into a $1 raffle.

Pontoon Beach bought a new fleet of police vehicles earlier this year, using part of the drug seizure funds to buy four 2006 Dodge Chargers, as well as a 2006 Dodge Magnum. The funding also paid for a new $128,000 command vehicle that will be used during weather emergencies or at the scene of major crimes.

The PBPD has also upgraded to a digital fingerprint machine and added to its arsenal of lethal and non-lethal weapons that officers carry. Additionally, each new police vehicle is outfitted with new laptops and cameras. Patrol cars that are used during night shifts are equipped with infrared cameras that allow officers to locate suspects hiding in the darkness.

"We've been very fortunate," Luehmann said. "We've made smart decisions choosing how that money is spent. We're a far better-equipped police force now."

By raffling off police cars for $1 each, Luehmann also helped other local departments improve their own equipment. To make the giveaway random, Luehmann marked all five cars with a number and then put numbers into a hat. Representatives from the five local police departments then picked out their number in a blind drawing.

Due to legal reasons, each department was asked to pay $1 for the cars. Staunton Police Chief Robert Mertz, Venice Assistant Police Chief Theo Adams, Worden Police Sgt. Chad Grammer, Livingston Police Chief James Poppenhouse and East Carondelet Police Chief Johnnie Matt all drew numbers to choose among the five Crown Victoria police cars. Staunton received a 1997 model, Venice and Worden took home year 2000 models, and Livingston and East Carondelet both grabbed 2001 cars.

E-mail: cmorelli@yourjournal.com