McHenry County, Illinois – The Crystal Lake Park Police Department has been around for a century but 2024 could very well be the last year of their existence.
Citing growing costs and some duplication by other police departments, the Crystal Lake Park District Board has been considering whether to make cuts or disband its 11-person police force according to MSN.
The Northwest Herald reported that the decision would be made by February.
At a recent park district board meeting, one of the commissioners said 100 years after the department was started may be the perfect time to ask if it’s still necessary.
The police budget did jump 41% in the last year but that overage was because of an Illinois State Law that mandated body cameras.
Sources tell Law Officer that the agency has always operated within it’s allotted budget and that the idea of disbanding the police department was “anti-police” bias by those making the decision.
Illinois law requires the department to equip officers with body cameras in 2024, which is one reason its budget jumped 41%.
